Although Sri Lanka is a small island nation in terms of land area, it has a lot of diversity in various fields. This beautiful state in the Indian Ocean has unique differences in many aspects, such as geographical location, climate, tourist attractions, cultures, religions etc. For example, if we take the geographical location of Sri Lanka, be it plains, mountains, forests, reservoirs, or beaches, any of these geographical features can be seen in this small island nation. Also, In other words, the same diversity can be seen in the food pattern of Sri Lanka as in other aspects such as geographical location, climate, culture, religion, etc.
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Various delicious foods of Sri Lanka
- Milk Rice
- Sri lankan hopper & egg hopper ( appa)
- Fish ambul Thiel
- Jackfruit Curry & Polos curry (Fruits of the same plant)
- Kottu Roti (Godambha Roti)
- Sri lankan Lentil dal curry ( parippu curry, dhal curry )
- Ulundu Wade & Parippu Wade ( Dhal )
- Sri Lankan spicy chicken curry
- Sri Lankan String hoppers
- Sri Lankan Lamprais
1, Milk Rice
Milk rice can be known as the most popular and delicious food in Sri Lanka. Milk rice is not a regular dish in Sri Lanka's daily diet and is usually prepared as a blessing meal on special occasions. For example, during the Sinhala New Year celebrations celebrated by most people in Sri Lanka, milk rice is a mandatory food. Apart from the main festive occasions, in the lifestyle of the Sri Lankan people, the preparation of milk rice can be seen on special occasions, for example, on occasions like marriage. Also, Since Sri Lanka has been a country with an agricultural economy since its inception, after harvesting the main crop of paddy, milk rice is prepared from its top and offered to the deities led by Lord Buddha.
Therefore, Milk rice can be a delicious food with a traditional, cultural and religious background.
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| Milk Rice |
The main ingredients used for cooking milk rice are rice and coconut milk. In addition to these two main ingredients, things like cardamom, cloves, and cashews are used to increase the taste. The rice is usually cooked for about 15 minutes, coconut milk is added to it and mixed well, and after cooking for another 15 minutes, milk rice is prepared. This is the general method of cooking milk rice in Sri Lanka. In addition to this method, the ways in which milk rice is cooked as well as the flavors vary according to each culture and region of Sri Lanka. Also, Milk rice is a food that is eaten, It is available anywhere there is milk rice like a thread on a needle, and a necessary snack is traditionally called "Katta Sambola, " a mixture of chopped chillies, salt, onion, and lime juice.
Many Sri Lankans love the taste of milk rice. You will be hard-pressed to find a Sri Lankan who prefers something other than the taste of milk rice. So remember to taste this traditional, cultural, and religiously rich milk rice during your visit to Sri Lanka.
2, Fish Sour curry
Fish Sour Curry (Ambul Thiel) is a popular curry among Sri Lankans in Sri Lanka. Although there are several fish curries in Sri Lanka, fish sour thiel curry has a special taste. This curry is a curry that is prepared more in the coastal provinces of Sri Lanka and is a curry that can be preserved for a long time.
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| Fish Sour Curry |
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| Fish Sour Curry ( Ambul Thiel) |
Fish Sour Thiel Curry is prepared by mixing fish pieces with salt, turmeric, pepper, and Goraka, a traditional Sri Lankan spice, and cooking them for a long time on low heat. Fish Sour Thiel Curry is unique from other fish curries due to the sour taste added by Goraka, a traditional Sri Lankan spice.
3, Sri Lankan hoppers and Egg hoppers
Hopper and Egg Hopper is a dish that is definitely cooked at night in any restaurant in any city in Sri Lanka. Hoppers, and egg hoppers are definitely cooked in restaurants in any city in Sri Lanka because they have high demand from Sri Lankans.
Rice flour, wheat flour and coconut milk and coconut water are mixed together and generally fermented for about 12 hours to make the mixture needed to make hoppers. The hopper is shaped like a round cup. Also, egg hoppers are cooked by putting an egg in hoppers that have been cooked for some time and adding salt, and black pepper powder in the middle.
4, Jackfruit curry
Foods related to jackfruit have been among the traditional foods of Sri Lanka since ancient times. There are several Sri Lankan cuisines associated with the jackfruit tree. From the early stage of the jackfruit to the seed, Sri Lankan food culture has it all. Some Sri Lankan foods associated with the jackfruit tree are jackfruit curry, polos curry, jackfruit flour aggala (Sweets), and jackfruit salad. Also, Jackfruit curry is a delicious and popular dish associated with the jackfruit tree. Jackfruit curry is prepared by separating the jackfruit into jackfruit pieces, cutting it thinly, adding coconut milk and spices like chili powder, and Curry powder, and cooking it well.
During your visit to Sri Lanka, can able to enjoy jackfruit curry at restaurants and hotels that sell traditional Sri Lankan food.
5, Kottu Roti
A popular street food among the urban people of Sri Lanka, kottu roti is a delicious dish. Although Kottu is called Roti, Kottu is prepared by cutting a rather large ground roti into small pieces and mixing those pieces with vegetables, meat, and eggs.
It is an interesting process to mix the cut roti pieces and vegetables, meat, etc. with two blades. The way kottu is prepared is a very rhythmic process and you will be able to taste kottu as well as witness this fascinating process during a visit to Sri Lanka. There are different types of kottu according to the main ingredients, depending on the different ingredients that are mixed into the kottu. Chicken pieces (Chicken Kottu), cheese pieces ( Cheese Kottu), egg pieces (Egg Kottu), vegetable pieces (Vegetable Kottu), etc. can be called.
6, Sri Lankan Dhal curry ( Parippu Curry )
There is no mistake in calling the favorite food of the people of Sri Lanka lentil curry because lentil curry can be found in the daily diet of Sri Lanka at least once a day. The general recipe for making lentil curry is by cooking lentils with coconut milk, chili powder, cinnamon and spices like curry powder.
Lentil curry in Sri Lanka is cooked in different ways with slight variations from region to region and has distinct flavors.
7, String Hoppers
String Hopper is a delicious dish found in breakfast in Sri Lanka. The ingredients used to prepare string hoppers are rice flour and salt. Apart from rice flour, finger millet flour is also used for cooking string hoppers.
There is a separate set of equipment for preparing string hoppers and using those Kits. The mixture of hoppers is prepared like noodles and steamed.
Prepared String Hoppers is eaten along with curries like lentil curry, chicken curry, and fish curry and its taste is indescribable, try it yourself in Sri Lanka and understand the taste.
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| Sri Lanka sweet ( well talapa) |
8, Halapa ( Sri Lankan Traditional Sweets )
Halapa is a popular sweet in Sri Lankan agricultural culture. Halapa, a type of sweet commonly found in the tea time of the Sri Lankan people in the past, is a type of sweet that is rarely seen in Sri Lanka today. But nowadays, Halapa is a sweet that can be enjoyed by many during the Sinhala New Year festival which is a major festival in Sri Lanka.
Halapa is mainly prepared on one ingredient. Using Kurakkan flour and adding coconut and Kitul honey or coconut honey to it, Halapa is prepared from that mixture, and Halapa is cooked by steame.
Even though Halapa is a type of sweet, it is the experience of many people that when they eat one Halapa, they feel so full that they cannot eat any other food. When you visit Sri Lanka, you can also try Halapa, a delicious sweet, and comment below if your experience is the same.
9. Vada and other Sri Lankan street foods
During a trip to Sri Lanka, you can enjoy the various flavours of street food in Colombo and other Sri Lanka cities. Among the Sri Lankan street foods, Vada is a small street food with a very delicious chilli flavor. Vada is cooked using dal as the main ingredient and fried in coconut oil with chillies, salt etc. Besides the usual vada, you can enjoy vada with various other flavours (Prawns Vada) in Sri Lanka.
Here are some other street foods you can enjoy in Sri Lanka.
- Roti and Sambal
- Thosai ( Undu Pancake, Dosa )
- Paratha & Egg Paratha
- Fried lake fish
- Sri Lankan Fruit Pickles
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| Roti |
10, Lamprais
During the colonial period of Sri Lanka, especially during the Dutch colonial period, lamprais can be described as a food recipe added to the food culture of Sri Lanka. Lamprais is prepared by placing beef, pork, chicken, egg, eggplant moju, sugar sambal, and ghee rice in a banana leaf, wrapping it well and baking it in an oven. Also, the way lamprais are prepared and the ingredients used are different and lamprais are prepared in different ways.
11. Asmi-Sri Lankan Traditional Sweet
Asmi is a delicious sweet made from natural Sri Lankan cinnamon(wild cinnamon) and honey. Asmi, a traditional sweet from the past in Sri Lanka, is especially common on festive occasions. For example, Asmi is one of the main sweets on the tea table during the Sinhala New Year celebrations.
The ingredients of Asmi are rice flour, dawul cinnamon (a natural cinnamon in Sri Lanka), sugar syrup, and coconut milk. Asami is made using those ingredients; sugar honey is beautifully poured over the asami in different shapes and served on the tea table.
12. Wandu ( Generally similar to cake)
Another traditional Sri Lankan sweet, Wandu, usually resembles a Cupcake. Although not common in Sri Lanka today, you can still enjoy this Wandu in rural areas and in restaurants that sell traditional Sri Lankan food.
First, A mixture of rice flour, coconut water, coconut, and jaggery is made and left to ferment for about 12 hours. Wandu is made from the mixture and after boiling the prepared Wandu with steam, Wandu is prepared.
13. Sri Lankan Chicken Curry
Although chicken curry is commonly eaten, you can enjoy a unique flavored chicken curry with spices in Sri Lanka. Chicken curry cooked with various Sri Lankan spices like Cinnamon, Cumin, Goraka(Garcinia Morella ), Lemongrass, Black pepper, Curry Powder, tamarind, etc., is sure to be one of the most unique chicken curries you have ever experienced.
14. Kithul honey and jaggery
Kitul industry, which used to be at the professional level of Sri Lankan villagers in the past, is still seen as an industry, although it is not at the previous level. There are various products related to the Kitul industry, and some of them are Kitul honey, Kitul jaggery, and Kitul flour.
Kitul honey and Kitul jaggery are very tasty and have health-promoting properties, but due to the small number of people involved in the Kitul industry, it isn't to find original Kitul products in the Sri Lankan market.
On a trip to Sri Lanka, you can get original kitul jaggery and kitul honey on the recommendation of a tour guide.
15. King Coconut Water
King coconut is a common variety of coconut in Sri Lanka. King coconut water, also used as a medicine in Ayurveda, is a delicious drink with a delightful taste. King coconut water, with less sugar than regular coconut water, is a natural drink to quench thirst during the day and relieve gastritis.
Traveling to Sri Lanka, you can taste a king coconut from a small shop selling king coconuts on the roadside.
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Food & Health