Rihaakuru: (ri haa ku ru)

Rihaakuru is a traditional product of the Maldives.

For generations, Maldivians have been fishermen. The sea and its plentiful bounty have been the source of sustenance, nutrition and main income earner for our people.

Long before sustainability and eco-friendliness became acceptable, indeed recognizable terms, Maldivian fishermen had decided that they will only use the pole-and-line method of fishing to catch tuna- the traditional harvest of the country. This practice, even exclusively in use today, allows us to rightfully claim that our tuna fishery is the most environmental friendly and sustainable fishery.

The primary use of the catch is, of course, sustenance and nutrition. The tuna is cooked in water and the fish used for consumption. The soup in which the fish is cooked, is then concentrated, until it becomes a thick paste. This is Rihaakuru.

Traditionally Maldivians use Rihaakuru as a base for curries and other soups and even used the concentrated paste by itself for eating with rice.

Today, the Maldives Industrial Fisheries Company Limited, (Mifco) prepares this paste at its EU approved factory. Only the best of the catch is selected for this process, The selected fish is then cleaned and hygienically prepared and processed under the supervision of our trained quality control inspectors and production supervisors. The resulting paste is carefully vacuum packed in bottles with an additional shrink-wrap to ensure security.

This production yields more than 250 Kilo Calories of Energy per 100 grams, with a protein content of 58%. The fat content is at 1.4% with a Carbohydrate content of 1.1%. Therefore Rihaakuru is a hygienically packed nutritious product which is good to consume, and dare we say, delicous to eat.

Fasmeeru Rihaakuru can be used in soup bases to add both the flavor and goodness of tuna. It is also an excellent sandwich spread on toast for the person-on-the-go. Rihaakuru have also been used in Chinese dishes including Cha Kuay Teow Mee, Fried Vegetable (Kai Lan, Chye Sim, Pak Choy) and Hue Muay with tasty results. Indeed we believe that there can be many more uses for Rihaakuru and that its use is only limited by ones imagination.

We at Mifco would like to hear about your reaction to the product, and any alternative uses made from our traditional Rihaakuru