Top 5 Traditional Sri Lankan cuisines

By Remitbee - Jun 23, 2021

Sri Lankan indigenous and traditional foods have a long history and special practices that date back thousands of years. The nutritious, health-related, and therapeutic rationale of food ingredients and preparation methods is profoundly intertwined with the Sri Lankan food tradition.

Sri Lankan cuisine is renowned for its rich combination of rice specialties, spices, herbs, seafood, seasonal vegetables and fruits, and, of course, legumes, all of which are infused with regional flavours.

Many Sinhalese food products are derived from chena cultivation, which plays an important role in the food scene in Sri Lanka. From the most celebrated and auspicious Sinhala and Hindu New Years’ to daily activities and festivals, typical Sri Lankan meals will be served, including milk rice, sweetmeats, and spicy curries.

Many of these dishes feature rice, rice flour, and coconut as main ingredients, with seafood also playing a significant role in Sri Lankan cuisine. The majority of Sri Lankans prefer vegetable curries, with “Rice and Curry” being the most popular meal in any part of the world. The curries have a lot of flavour and colour, thanks to a variety of Sri Lankan hot spices. These spices not only add flavour to the food but also have ayurvedic properties.

Here are 5 traditional Sri Lankan Cuisine

Milk Rice

Rice cooked in salted coconut milk until the grains become soft and porridge-like is known as kiribath (lit.' milk rice'). Kiribath is usually served for breakfast, but it's also served on special occasions including birthdays, New Year's Eve, and religious festivals. It's normally followed by lunu miris, red onion, and chili relish.

Sri Lankan Dhal Curry

In Sri Lankan cuisine, dhal curry is one of the most common staple dishes. The dhal, which is usually masoor dhal (red lentils), is usually cooked in a tasty blend of spices before adding a few spoons of coconut milk to make a rich stew. In Sri Lanka, dhal curry is ubiquitous, and it's enjoyed with a variety of rice and bread.

Vegetarian Kottu

Kottu, also known as kottu roti, is a popular Sri Lankan street food dish. It's made up of shredded pieces of Sri Lankan godamba roti, which is similar to a large paratha (an oily fried piece of thin dough) that's stir-fried with a variety of spices and a variety of meaty (or vegetarian) ingredients.

String hoppers

String hoppers (idiyappam) are made from a rice meal or wheat flour dough that is cooked in hot water. The dough is steamed after being pressed out in circles from a string mould onto small wicker mats. This dish is normally served with curry and is not eaten on its own.

Lamprais

Lamprais is rice cooked in stock with frikkadels (meatballs), blachan, aubergine curry, and seeni sambol. After that, everything is wrapped in a banana leaf and baked. Because of its richness and the time it takes to prepare, Lamprais is perfect for special occasions with a large group of friends and family.

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By Javishaa Thiya