Sri Lankan cuisine

In areas located on the island's coasts, seafood is a standard feature of the local dishes. Tamil cuisine, especially in Jaffna, shares many similarities with South Indian cuisine. Kandyan Sinhalese cooking is based on local ingredients, including hill vegetables and fruits. == Common ingredients ==

Herbs: pandan leaf (rampe), curry leaf (karapincha), shallot, goraka, lemongrass, tamarind, garlic, ginger, lime, cayenne pepper, tabasco pepper Fish: Maldives fish, dried fish, mackerel, tuna, shark, sprats, fermented preserved fish Fruits: bananas, mangoes, pineapple, soursop, guava, avocado, orange Grains: white rice (some common varieties are Samba, Kekulu, and Suwandel), red rice (some common varieties are Kekulu, Pachchaperumal, Kaluheenati, and Madathawalu), finger millet, hog millet, olu haal (water lily seed) Meats: chicken, beef, pork, mutton Oils: coconut oil, sesame oil, cow ghee, buffalo ghee, mustard oil Spices: cinnamon, black pepper, fennel, cardamom, cloves, fenugreek, nutmeg, mace, cumin, coriander, turmeric Sweeteners: kithul jaggery, coconut jaggery, palmyrah jaggery Vegetables and greens: gotukola, green papaya, snake beans, bitter melon, snake gourd, luffa, pumpkin, winged bean, moringa Yams, roots and tubers: lotus root, purple yam, tapioca, kohila (Lasia spinosa), Arrowleaf elephant's ear Other: Coconut milk and grated coconut are ubiquitous in the cuisine, and are freshly prepared almost every day in most households. Maldives fish is heavily used in vegetable dishes to add an umami flavour. == Dishes ==

Rice and curry The central feature of Sri Lankan cuisine is boiled or steamed rice, served with a curry of fish or meat, along with other curries made with vegetables, lentils, or fruits. Dishes are accompanied by pickled fruits or vegetables, chutneys, and sambols. Coconut sambol is especially common, a paste of ground coconut mixed with chili peppers, dried Maldives fish, and lime juice. Kiribath Kiribath or paal soru (lit. 'milk rice') is rice cooked in salted coconut milk until the grains turn soft and porridge-like. Generally eaten for breakfast, kiribath is also prepared on special occasions such as birthdays, New Years' and religious festivals. It is usually served with lunu miris, a relish made with red onions and chillies. There is also a method of cooking kiribath with mung beans. During Aluth Avurudu/Puthandu, the Sinhalese/Tamil New Year, kiribath is served with sweets such as kavum, kokis, mung kavum, od iba, and others. Kottu Kottu is a spicy stir-fry of shredded roti bread with vegetables. Optional ingredients include eggs, meat, or cheese. It was invented in Colombo and literally means 'chopped roti'. Hoppers Hoppers (appam in Tamil, appa in Sinhala) are based on a fermented batter, usually made of rice flour and coconut milk with spices. The dish is pan-fried or steamed. The fermenting agent is palm toddy or yeast. Hopper variants can either be spicy (such as egg hoppers, milk hoppers, and string hoppers), or sweet (such as vandu appa and pani appa). Spicy hoppers are often accompanied by lunu miris, a mix of red onions and spices. String hoppers String hoppers (idiyappam in Tamil) are made from a hot-water dough of rice meal or wheat flour. The dough is pressed out in circlets from a string mold onto small wicker mats, and then steamed. This dish is typically not eaten plain and is often paired with a curry, such as kiri hodi. Lamprais A Dutch Burgher-influenced dish, lamprais is rice boiled in stock accompanied by frikkadels (frikadeller meatballs), a mixed-meat curry, blachan, aubergine curry, and seeni sambol. All of this is then wrapped in a banana leaf and baked in an oven. Lamprais is common at large gatherings due to a long preparation time and heaviness. Lamprais is cooked twice; first the rice and the entrees are cooked separately and later what is already cooked is wrapped in a banana leaf and baked in an oven. Kool Kool is a seafood broth from Jaffna containing crab, fish, cuttlefish, prawns, and crayfish. It also contains long beans, jak seeds, manioc, spinach, and tamarind. The dish is thickened with palmyra root flour. Pittu Pittu are cylinders of steamed or roasted rice flour mixed with grated coconut. Roti Godamba roti is a simpler Sri Lankan flatbread usually made from wheat flour. The most popular roti is Pol roti, where shredded coconut is mixed into the dough, and lacks a leavening agent. Another variant is spicy roti, in which chopped onions and green chilies are added to the dough. Sambal Sambals ( in Sinhala) are eaten with many dishes including curry dishes and string hoppers. Seeni sambol, Pol sambol, Lunumiris, Gotukola sambal and Vaalai kai sambal are common found in the country. Mallung Mallung is a condiment or side dish, comprising chopped greens which are lightly cooked and mixed with grated coconut and red onions. Malay achcharu Malay achcharu, also known as Sri Lankan Malay pickle or simply as achcharu is a dish that originated from the local Malay community and is now widely popular among all ethnic groups in the country. It is a selection of vegetables in a pickled sauce and blends sweet, sour and spicy flavours. Sri Lankan Chinese Chinese restaurants have been common in Sri Lanka, especially in Colombo, since the 1940s. Over time, the cuisine was adapted to suit the local palate, and Sri Lankan Chinese food was born. Several dishes and condiments—such as Hot butter cuttlefish and Chinese Chili paste—are commonly found in most restaurants and supermarkets. ====== '''' or offal consists of the stomach of cattle or goats. It is cooked as a curry or deep fried and eaten with rice or more famously with Pittu. Its origins are associated with the Sri Lankan Malay community but it is very common among the Moors community as well. The preparation of also consists of Kodal or the intestines of the animal. Sate through the cultural impact of the Sri Lankan Malays and cultural influences from the Malay world, nasi goreng is a ubiquitous and popular dish eaten among all ethnic groups in Sri Lanka. Sate is of Indonesian origin and has become a staple of the Sri Lankan diet. They are served with peanut and chili sauce. Ekor sop Ekor sop, oxtail soup, is a delicacy of the Sri Lankan Malay community. Nasi goreng and mee goreng Nasi goreng () and mee goreng are popular street food dishes in the country, a result of cultural influences from Indonesia and the country's local Malay community. == Sweets ==

A common dessert in Sri Lanka is kevum, an oil cake made with rice flour and treacle and deep-fried to a golden brown. There are many variations of kevum. Moong kevum is a variant in which mung bean flour is made into a paste and shaped like diamonds before frying. Other types of kevum include , konda kevum, athirasa, and handi kevum. A simple home dessert is buffalo curd, often served with kithul treacle. Many sweets are served with kiribath milk rice during the Sinhalese and Tamil New Years. Other sweets include: Cakes and pastries: • Aluwa – Diamond-shaped rice-flour pastries • Bolo fiado – A Portuguese-style layer cake • Bibikkan – A rich, cake-like sweet made from grated coconut, coconut treacle, and wheat flour. It is a specialty of coastal areas. • Kokis – A savoury crispy biscuit-like dish made from rice flour and coconut milk. • Pushnambu/wandu appa – A rich, cake-like sweet made from coconut treacle and wheat flour. Cinnamon or cardamom and sweet cumin is often added among the Christian population of Sri Lanka. • Seenakku – A glutinous rice cake often served with grated coconut. Treacle-flavored sweets: • Undu walalu (undu wal) or pani walalu – A sweet from the Mathale area, prepared using urad bean flour and kithul treacle. • Aggala – Rice balls flavored with treacle. • Weli thalapa – Made from rice flour and coconut treacle. • Aasmi – Made with rice flour and the juice of a leaf called dawul kurundu (okra juice can be used as a substitute), deep-fried and topped with pink-coloured treacle. Puddings and toffees: • Kalu dodol – A solid toffee-, jelly-like confection made by lengthy reduction of coconut milk, thickened with rice flour and sweetened with jaggery. • Watalappam – A steamed pudding made with coconut milk, eggs, and jaggery. First introduced by Malay immigrants, watalappam has become a common Sri Lankan dessert. Other sweets: • Thala guli – Made from ground sesame, desiccated coconut, jaggery, and salt. • Kiri aluwa or milk toffee – Made with sweetened condensed milk or sugar-thickened pure cow's milk. Cardamom or sweet cumin and cashews are added for more taste. File:Konda Kavum 01.JPG|Konda Kevum File:Kokis.JPG|Kokis File:Kalu Dodol.JPG|Kalu dodol File:Sri Lankan Swiss roll.jpg|Sri Lankan Swiss roll == Short eats ==

"Short eats" (colloquially called "shorties") are a ubiquitous category of savory and sweet snacks in Sri Lanka, encompassing items such as patties, cutlets, rolls, samosas, pies, and buns. Though now deeply ingrained in Sri Lankan culture, their origins are a fusion of colonial culinary influences adapted and "Sri Lankanised" over the past 80 years. The diverse array of short eats reflects the island's history of foreign presence. Meanwhile Indians introduced samosas and vadais, while Chinese settler communities introduced the breadcrumb-coated "Chinese roll," a spicy, deep-fried spring roll distinct from those found in China, similar to spring roll and egg roll. • Hot butter cuttlefish - fried cuttlefish in a spiced butter sauce Short eats are served at parties or to guests when they visit a home. Western food such as hot dogs and hamburgers have arrived in Sri Lanka, with the globalization of fast-food chains such as McDonald's, KFC and Pizza Hut. However, foods from these establishments are not usually considered short eats. Additionally, hot dogs and hamburgers are also modified to fit local tastes. ==Beverages==

Beverages commonly served in Sri Lanka include: • Faluda – a mixture of syrup, ice cream, jelly pieces and basil seeds, served cold • Fruit juice – including lime and passionfruit juice • King coconut water • Tea • Toddy – a mildly alcoholic drink made from palm tree sap • Arrack – an alcoholic spirit made from the fermented sap of the coconut flower. • Wood apple juice • Kirala juice == See also ==