A gluten-free diet in the Maldives made me apprehensive at first, because there are no eating opportunities except at your resort. Could the Kurumba resort feed me?
I am used to the increasing gluten free diet awareness in Canada and the US when I travel there. Years ago servers, cooks and chefs didn’t get it, and I frequently suffered gluten poisoning.
Would Kurumba Resort be a step back into the gluten dark ages?
Traditional Maldivian food is low on gluten, and high on fish. Perfect! The only catch is that like most exotic places, the last thing you’ll find on a resort menu is genuine local food! Resorts are about catering to what their guests are used to. After all, if guests really wanted to have a local experience, they would not stay in a resort!
But in the Maldives, there is no other choice. This location is about diving, snorkeling, beaches and relaxation. And in my case, a business trip, but that’s another story. It is also about keeping tourists away from locals, so foreigners have to stay in a resort (or limited options in Male the capital, not exactly ideal for diving; or a dive boat, which is a sort of floating resort).
As with any restaurant, it is important to inform the serving staff of your dietary restrictions, then listen and watch carefully to see if the idea has “landed”. I could see that they did get it. They may not have known 100% what I could or could not eat, but they looked into it carefully.
It is often good to choose plainly cooked foods without sauces, yet this makes the results bland. It is better to choose foods that are tasty even with simple preparation, for example steak, which is just great grilled and without sauce, assuming you like steak.
There are many ways to prepare fish. The Maldives have plenty of fish! Steamed or grilled is great, just make sure it’s not breaded.
The big bonus of food at the Kurumba Resort is that they have gluten free bread! This came as a great surprise. Even better, the first server I talked to made sure all other restaurants on the island were aware of my needs, so I had gluten free bread available whether I wanted it or not! I was very impressed.
Can you eat gluten-free in the Maldives? Certainly you can, and Kurumba Resort, with several excellent restaurants to choose from and gluten free bread is a great choice.