Savor the Flavors of Seychelles with Traditional Cassava Cake

On the eastern slopes of Mahé, the spice garden at Le Jardin du Roi sits anchored by a 19th-century house with soaring ceilings and big windows designed to catch the mountain breeze. But the real story of Seychellois cooking starts lower down, in the soil. Cassava (manihot esculenta) was among the first food items the initial 28 settlers brought when they arrived on August 27, 1770, aboard Thelemaque from Mauritius. Today, that same tuber forms the backbone of a dessert you’ll find everywhere from five-star hotel restaurants to roadside take-away stalls: traditional cassava cake.

This guide covers where to find the best cassava cake across Mahé, Praslin, and La Digue, how it’s made, and what to look for so you don’t end up with a dry, mass-produced version. I’ll also walk through the practical details — when bakeries bake, how to spot the real thing, and why the version at a place like H.H Farm at Val d’Andorre tastes different from what you’ll grab at the airport.

Cassava in Seychellois culture: from staple to sweet treat

Cassava arrived as a food-security crop and never left.

By 1772, Pierre Hangard had taken over the settlement on Ste Anne and was growing cassava alongside rice, yam, taro, sweet potato, and maize. When French explorer Jean François de Galaup visited in 1773, he wrote of Hangard’s fields: « Il a de plus un champ de manioc de la plus grande beauté ». With the arrival of enslaved people, cassava — high in calories — became a staple, boiled and eaten plain. Every estate on Mahé, Praslin, and La Digue set aside land for it.

The leap from boiled tuber to cake happened later. In 1868, Hilarion Rault in Mauritius discovered a new way to process cassava, launching Biscuits manioc in 1870. Immigrants from Mauritius brought the recipe for galet mayok to Seychelles, and by the late 1890s, galet-making was a popular activity on estates where cassava was cultivated. That same technique — grating, pressing, and baking — is what produces the cassava cake you’ll eat today.

One honest limitation: this is not a quick snack. The traditional process takes hours. At H.H Farm at Val d’Andorre, old Polixene still grates cassava by hand on a perforated oil-tin grater, presses the pulp under a 50-kilo stone overnight, and only then bakes. That farm alone produces an average of 1,600 galet a month, sold at various retail outlets around Mahé.

Where to find traditional cassava cake in Seychelles

The best cassava cake isn’t in a restaurant — it’s at a farm or a roadside stall.

H.H Farm at Val d’Andorre, Mahé

This is where you’ll see the whole process. Hendricks Herminie’s farm at Val d’Andorre still uses the traditional method: grating, pressing under a stone, and baking. The result is a dense, moist cake with a pronounced coconut flavour and a slightly grainy texture from the cassava powder. It’s sold at retail outlets around Mahé, but visiting the farm itself gives you context you won’t get from a supermarket shelf. The farm is an open-air shelter covered with coconut leaves, and the western sky turns crimson as the South-West Monsoon breeze moves through the cassava plantation on the terrace above.

One caveat: the farm isn’t set up for casual tourists. You’ll want to call ahead or arrange a visit through a local guide. The galet sells out quickly — production runs are small and batch-based.

Roadside stalls and take-aways on Mahé

From five-star hotel restaurants to roadside take-away, cassava has earned its place on the local menu. Boiled cassava is a common substitute for rice or potatoes, but the cake version — often called galet manyok — is what you’ll find at small stalls near bus stops and markets. The texture varies: some are dense and almost fudge-like, others are lighter and more crumbly. The difference usually comes down to how long the cassava was pressed and whether coconut milk was added during baking.

Look for stalls that sell out by midday — that’s a sign of freshness. If a stall has galet sitting out all afternoon, it’s likely been sitting since morning and will be dry.

Praslin and La Digue

Every estate on Praslin and La Digue historically allocated land for cassava cultivation, and the tradition continues. On Praslin, small bakeries near the Côte d’Or beach area bake cassava cake in the early morning. On La Digue, the version tends to be sweeter and more coconut-forward, reflecting the island’s stronger Creole culinary traditions. The texture on La Digue is often softer, almost pudding-like, because bakers there use more coconut milk and less pressing time.

The tradeoff: on both islands, cassava cake is harder to find than on Mahé. Production is smaller, and what’s made is often spoken for by locals before visitors wake up. Ask at your guesthouse the night before — many will reserve a piece for you if you ask.

Practical planning for cassava cake hunting

Timing and location matter more than you’d think.

Getting there

Mahé is the easiest island for cassava cake hunting. Victoria’s market is walkable from the cruise port and most hotels in the capital. For H.H Farm at Val d’Andorre, you’ll need a car or a taxi — it’s about a 20-minute drive from Victoria. On Praslin, the Côte d’Or area is well-served by buses and taxis from the ferry terminal. La Digue is small enough to cycle across; the bakeries are concentrated near the main village.

Best time to visit

Cassava cake is available year-round, but the quality varies with the cassava harvest. Cassava grown during the drought season is especially high in cyanogenic glucosides — the compounds that make raw cassava poisonous. While cooking neutralises the toxins, the flavour can be slightly more bitter in drought-season cassava. The sweetest, mildest cassava comes after the rainy season, roughly December to February and June to August.

Costs and local friction

A piece of cassava cake from a roadside stall costs around SCR 10–20 (roughly $0.75–$1.50). From a hotel restaurant, expect to pay SCR 50–100 ($4–$8) for a plated version with sauce or ice cream. The hotel version is often less authentic — lighter, less dense, and made with shortcuts like pre-ground cassava flour instead of freshly grated tuber.

The main friction point: availability. Cassava cake is not a mass-produced item. Bakeries and farms make what they can sell in a day, and they stop when it’s gone. If you arrive at 2 p.m. expecting a fresh piece, you’ll likely be disappointed.

On the ground: what to know before you eat

A few details that make the difference between a good cassava cake and a great one.

How traditional cassava cake is made

The process starts with grating fresh cassava on a perforated oil-tin grater — the same tool old Polixene uses at Val d’Andorre. The grated cassava is wrapped in a coarse fisel bag and pressed under a 50-kilo stone overnight. By morning, the grated cassava has become a coarse powder. That powder is mixed with coconut milk and sugar, then baked. The result is dense, moist, and coconut-forward.

The traditional version uses no wheat flour, no eggs, and no butter — just cassava, coconut, and sugar. That makes it naturally gluten-free and dairy-free, though you should confirm with the baker if that matters to you.

What to look for in a good cassava cake

A good cassava cake is moist but not wet, dense but not heavy, and sweet but not cloying. The coconut flavour should be forward, not an afterthought. The texture should be slightly grainy from the cassava powder — if it’s smooth and uniform, it’s likely made with pre-ground flour, not freshly grated tuber. The colour should be pale cream to light yellow, depending on the cassava variety and how much coconut milk was used.

A dry cassava cake is a bad sign. It means it was baked too long, or it’s been sitting out since morning. Fresh cassava cake should feel slightly springy when you press it gently.

Local etiquette and customs

Cassava cake is eaten as a snack or dessert, often with tea or coffee. In Seychellois households, it’s common to eat it with the hands — just tear off a piece. At roadside stalls, it’s usually wrapped in banana leaf or paper. If you’re buying from a farm or a small bakery, it’s polite to ask about the process. Seychellois bakers are proud of their craft and happy to explain.

One local phrase worth knowing: “galet manyok” (cassava cake). If you say that at a market stall, the vendor will know exactly what you want.

Frequently asked questions about cassava cake in Seychelles

Is cassava cake gluten-free?

Traditional cassava cake is made with cassava powder, coconut milk, and sugar — no wheat flour, no eggs, no butter. That makes it naturally gluten-free and dairy-free. But always confirm with the baker, especially at hotels where recipes may vary.

Why does cassava cake sometimes taste bitter?

Raw cassava contains cyanogenic glucosides, which can release cyanide. Proper cooking neutralises these toxins, but cassava grown during drought season can have a slightly bitter aftertaste. The sweetest cassava comes after the rainy season, roughly December to February and June to August.

Can I find cassava cake at the airport?

You can find packaged cassava cake at the airport in Mahé, but it’s not the same as fresh. The airport version is mass-produced, drier, and often contains preservatives. If you want the real thing, buy from a market or farm before you head to the airport.

Is cassava cake the same as galet manyok?

Yes. Galet manyok is the Seychellois Creole name for cassava cake. The word galet refers to the shape — a flat, round cake — and manyok is the local term for cassava. You’ll also hear galet mayok in some areas.

What’s the difference between cassava cake and ladob mayok?

Ladob mayok is a dessert made by boiling pieces of cassava in coconut milk with sugar and vanilla essence. It’s softer and soupier than cassava cake, more like a pudding. Cassava cake is baked and dense. Both are traditional, but they’re completely different textures.

One last bite

Cassava cake in Seychelles isn’t a dessert you stumble upon — it’s one you plan for. The best version I found was at a roadside stall near Victoria’s market, bought at 9:15 a.m., still warm from the oven, wrapped in banana leaf. The woman who sold it to me pointed at the Creole kitchen traditions that shaped it, and I understood why the overnight pressing under a 50-kilo stone matters. It’s not about efficiency. It’s about texture that you can’t shortcut.

Sources and further reading

Cassava in Seychellois culture. Seychelles Nation, 2024.

The hidden legacy of the Seychelles island cuisine. BBC Travel, 2022.