Day 2 - post 3: Cabbage stuffed with strawberry coulis

After our visit to Ambohimanga we stopped for lunch at the nearby “Relais du Rova”.  The first two words in that name are French (“Inn of the”) while the third is Malagasy (“Palace”).  

Elaborate napkin folding at Relais du Rova

We invited Jocelin to eat with us, but he preferred to go off to the drivers’ table somewhere round the back.  Like many Malagasy restaurants, the Relais provides a meal for drivers who bring their clients there, by way of paying the drivers a commission.  We’ve sometimes wondered how the food that restaurants give drivers compares with that offered to clients.  On this occasion, it seems he had the same Malagasy pork dish as I had, though he chose beans for his vegetable while I was curious to try cassava leaves.

But, you may be wondering, what about the “cabbage stuffed with strawberry coulis”?

How could I resist such a choice from the dessert menu?  This dessert turned out to be profiteroles containing small scoops of ice-cream, accompanied by slices of strawberry at the side.   The joys of English(?) menus in foreign lands!   “Choux farci” is French for stuffed choux pastry – and thus an alternative way of saying “profiteroles”, while “chou” is the French for cabbage.  Thus profiteroles with strawberries at the side had metamorphosed into cabbage stuffed with strawberry coulis.

So today’s blog posts have given you your language lessons:  “Ambohi” = “forest” (that one was new to us, but explains why so many Malagasy place names start with “Ambo”), “manga” = “blue”, “rova” = “palace” -- and “stuffed cabbage” = profiteroles (well, sometimes).   You cannot deny that reading “Babbs among the baobabs” is an educational experience! 

When we get back we will play you the CD from the Malagasy musicians who entertained us during lunch.  They also spoke excellent English. 

Valiha - Malagasy Composers and Musicians

And instrument builder!  A 48-
stringed instrument in the shape of Madagascar