The beautiful island nation of Sri Lanka’s deep connections as a cross-cultural hub for trade and people movement pans out in many directions. The influences of Afro-Arabic, Central Asian, European, South-east Asian, and Oriental food cultures make this island-nation such an alluring and truly distinctive culinary destination.
Added to the cooking cauldron, simmering with many native offerings are the profound manifestation of the Dutch, the Portuguese, the Arabs and the English foodways. While the Arabs brought in the yummy biryanis, the descendants of colonial Europeans imported the wonderful Dutch and Portuguese candies and desserts.
Spices and rice (around 15 varieties of rice are grown on the island) form a formidable team in the Sri Lankan family kitchen, legendary for all kinds of enticing curries, relishes and salads.
Jaffna’s Buryani
Along the eastern coastal region, you can sample the delicious version of Sri Lanka’s biryani, or Buryani, a colloquial word which originated from Buhari Biryani. Early Arab merchants who chose to settle in Galle, their major trading hub, also transported their culture and traditions into Sri Lanka. A fabulous contribution to its culinary repertoire was the biryani. The Sri Lankan buryani has a much spicier take on biryanis you would have enjoyed in India. There are also two forms of buryani on offer— (a) when you get a serving of chicken and rice cooked together in the ‘dum’ method and (b) biryani rice which comes with a separate serving of fried chicken leg, eggs, and onion salad on the side.
Rice and More Rice
Sri Lankan biryani illustrates the most enticing combination of rice and spice, but rice here shows up in many manifestations. The Sri Lankan Lamparais or rice-in-a-banana-leaf, a steamed all-inclusive favourite, is an absolute must- indulge. Servings bring together all the tantalising components of curried vegetables, chicken, spices (think cinnamon, lemongrass, and cardamom), and, of course, rice.
Over a Sri Lankan breakfast you’ll be introduced to hoppers. These bowl-shaped pancakes with a fried egg dropped in the middle are cooked in a pan. Hoppers are made from fermented rice flour and coconut milk. They appear to be inspired by South India’s appams.
String hoppers on the other hand are skinny rice-flour noodles; these are steamed, and then heaped up to form a multilayered noodle pancake. They are often teamed with a coconut curry gravy.
Milk rice, or non-parboiled rice cooked with coconut milk, has a special place in Sri Lankan culinary traditions as it is adored by all age groups. You’ll probably meet this favourite avatar of rice in various manifestations at ceremonies, devotions, and many festivities.
Sri Lankan curries
Turmeric and fennel, cardamom and curry leaves, as well as black pepper are amongst the choicest spices to be found in a Sri Lankan kitchen. Fundamental to the local cuisine they work as a base for many curries, sambals (relishes), sundals (salads), and mallums (greens dishes).
Vegetarians are spoilt for choice when it comes to delicious curries which are also made with indigenous vegetables such as the shaft of the drumstick plant, the tender heart of the jackfruit, and the bitter gourd.
An unforgettable component is the is the British influence with curries featuring carrots, potatoes, eggplant, and pumpkin.
If you are hard core non-vegetarian you can't go wrong with Tamil-style versions like the deep red "Jaffna curry," oftentimes as not made with seafood or goat meat which is more fiery because of the more lavish hand with the chilli peppers!
Unique to Sri Lanka’s seafood curries, is a secret ingredient; this is the ground, dried stalk of the palm fruit which not only thickens the curry but also gives it that nutty flavour.
Portuguese pão, Sri Lankan paan
In the early 16th century the Portuguese came to Sri Lanka to buy spices. While settling here as traders they introduced the natives to their bread-baking and confectionary traditions. The delectable fusion of the two cultures in the kitchen resulted in a top breakfast favourite— the local paan, or Portuguese pão (bread). A fiery guest from Portugal was the chilli pepper. No longer a house guest it’s a beloved family member in Sri Lankan homes!
Crunchy kokis
During the Sinhalese and Tamil New Year celebrations in Sri Lanka, crispy kokis will be assuredly doing the rounds amongst the guests. These yummy rosette-shaped snacks, made from rice flour and coconut milk and deep-fried, take their inspiration from the Dutch, koekjes or ‘biscuits’ —crisp, sweet pieces of dough baked up as small cookies. These were introduced in Sri Lanka by homesick Dutch colonists in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Travelling around Sri Lanka you are bound to meet up with many better-known gems of Sri Lankan culinary traditions. True foodies go much deeper looking for the lesser trumpeted wonders of a Sri Lankan kitchen. And, they are happiest when they can persuade their hostess to share the recipes to take home as precious souvenirs and indelible memories of a culinary adventure in the 'Spice Island'.