Sri Lankan food is unique like it's Culture. The cuisine of Sri Lanka draws influence from the colonists and foreign traders. Rice, which is usually consumed daily, can be found at any special occasion, while spicy curries are favorite dishes for dinner and lunch. Most of the Sri Lankans eat vegetables. The specialty in Sri Lankan food is that same food is differently made in different regions. With a large community of farmers the Rice and curry is the main food in Sri Lanka. Also in special occasion they made various sweets.
The curries come in many verities of colors and flavors blended in Sri Lankan Hot Spices. Most of the species has a great ayurvedic value when used in curries.

• Rice & Curry

Rice & Curry is the main food of Sri Lanka and Sri Lankans enjoy some of the spiciest foods in the world. Meat, fish and vegetables are prepared as curries. Sliced onions, green chilies, black pepper, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, nutmeg and saffron are used to add flavors. Today, rice and curry has shifted from being the popular breakfast to the essential lunch.
A basic rice and curry requires one fish (or beef or chicken) curry, two different vegetables, one portion of fried crispy stuff like ‘papadam’, a ‘mallum’ of chopped leaves and coconut, and a gravy or ‘hodda’ of spiced and cooked with coconut milk.

The rice is always put on to the plate first and then the curries are selected from the other dishes to mix with it so you have a collection of minor meals around the plate. You eat by mixing the rice with something forming it in to a bite-sized ball and consuming by hand.
There is vast range of flavors and different curry mixes used for different foods. There are regional differences too. Even with the same base food the taste will completely be different.

• Kiribath (Milk Rice)


Milk rice is a traditional Sri Lankan dish made from rice. The word is a compound with a transparent meaning in the Sinhala language, where kiri means "milk" and bath means "rice". The dish is prepared by cooking rice with coconut milk, whence this name.
In Tamil, the dish is called paacor. The origins of Kiribath are not clear although it has now become a traditional dish and is not uncommon in almost every household in Sri Lanka, be it rich or poor.
Kiribath is an essential dish for any auspicious moment.[ It is very commonly served for breakfast on the first day of each month and is a very important aspect for the Sinhalese in celebrating the Sinhala and Tamil New Year. Kiribath is cooked and served as the first meal after the dawn of the new year.
The recipe for Kiribath is fairly simple. After the rice is cooked in boiling water for about fifteen minutes, the coconut milk is added and cooked again until the liquid is absorbed. Salt is also added when cooking. However there are some variations to this where different ingredients are added, such as sesame seeds or cashew.


• Pittu

Pittu is a popular and frequently prepared food item among Sri Lankans, both Tamils living in Northern and Eastern parts of Sri lanka as well as Sinhalese living in the rest of the areas of the country. This item is prepared in some parts of South India too, but it does not seem that it commands such an important place in the food habits of people there. Traditionally the main ingradient of "Pittu" is rice flour, but kurakkan flour or wheat flour also can be used. In fact wheat flour was introduced in Sri Lanka only during the second world war. The other ingradient is scraped coconut. Now wheat flour also mixed with rice flour or kurakkan flour in the preparation of pittu.
Flours used need to be roasted first. Boiled water and required amount of salt are added to this flour and made it into a fairly tight mix. This mix is then broken into small pieces of approx. 2mm. to 5mm. diameter in size. This done either by hand, or an empty codenced milk container is used to break the flour mix in to pieces. This granular flour mix is steamed with scraped coconut inter-layered.

• Hoppers


• Plain hoppers
Plain hoppers are bowl-shaped thin pancakes made from fermented rice flour. They derive their shape from the small Appachatti in which they are cooked. They are fairly bland, and always served with a spicy condiment. These hoppers are made from a batter using rice, yeast, salt and a little sugar. After the mixture has stood for a couple of hours, it can be fried in the appachatti with a little oil. This can be served with coconut milk and sugar (widely in northern Tamil Nadu). In south-central Kerala, it is mostly seved with mutton or vegetable stew or egg roast.

• Egg hoppers
Egg hoppers are the same as plain hoppers, but an egg is broken into the pancake as it cooks.

• Milk hoppers
Milk hoppers have a spoonful of thick coconut milk/coconut cream added to the doughy centre. When cooked, the centre is firm to the touch but remains soft inside and is sweeter as a result of the coconut milk.

• Honey hoppers
Honey hoppers are crispy pancakes cooked with a generous amount of palm treacle. Some people also like to add some jaggery just before serving to make it extra sweet.

• String hopper


String hopper is made from rice noodles curled into flat spirals. It is served for breakfast with a thin fish or chicken curry, containing only one or two pieces of meat, a dhal (lentil) dish, and a spicy sambol or fresh chutney. String hoppers are made from steamed rice flour made into a dough with water and a little salt, and forced through a mould similar to those used for pasta to make the strings. They are cooked by steaming. These hoppers can be bought ready-made. The Indian & Sri Lankan population eats String Hoppers for breakfast or dinner. There are many variations to this, depending on the type of flour used etc. This simple dish can be adapted to more interesting things such as String Hopper Biriyani, by adding scrambled eggs or vegetables. In Tamil Nadu, 'Idiyappam' Paaya(Goat Leg Soup made using Coconut) is very famous.

• Coconut Roti

Roti is a quickie meal- a little cottagey and easy to prepare. Wheat, rice or kurakkan(Eleusine coracana, a strongly flavored brown millet)-meal is mixed with fresh grated coconut and a touch of oil and baked on a hot griddle in thin flat cakes.
Roti is equally good with chillie relish or with syrup. Shallots, green chillies, curry leaves and Maldive (cured) fish flakes are akked to ring in the changes.
Some believe that the Portuguese introduced Jaadi to Sri Lanka. ‘Jaadi’ was among the items that the fishermen had to supply to the King’s court as we note from Portuguese Tombos. Curing ‘Jaadi’ is a special art. It has to be done carefully. The fish has to be free of water. The migrants used, namely, salt and ‘Goraka’ have to be placed in layers. The fish, specially ‘Kumbalawa’ are slightly opened up on the side in those places. The barrels have to be sealed that no foreign matter could get in. The barrels are not opened till the fish is cured.

• Jaadi

Today, ‘Jaadi’ has virtually disappeared as a popular ‘rice-puller.’ Modern methods of deep freezing and refrigeration maybe the cause for it. Another reason could be the virtual non-availability of the real smoke-dried ripened ‘Goraka’ in industrial quantities. What is sold in shops today is forced-ripened and forced –coloured (stained), fruits of the tree occasionally not without passion fruit peels and other substitutes in it. One is not even sure of the hygienic quality and the efficacy of the modern substitute. Dodanduwa became the distribution point for both ‘Jaadi’ and imported tiles in the south as far as Hambantota.

Jaddi from Tutucorin was preferred by the people because it was tastier. It was higher priced than that from Mannar (Mannaram Jaadi), which was good enough for the poorer villagers.

The most popular salted fish among the village folk was ‘Kumbalawa’. Next came ‘Bolla’ and ‘Hurulla’ (a kind of Sardine). ‘Thora’ (Seer). ‘Jaadi’ was a specialty availability in season, especially during the Sinhalese New Year time. These barrels of ‘Thora Jaadi’ were cured over a longer period in sealed barrels and opened only on the eve of the Sinhalese New Year.

‘Mannaram Jaadi’ was considered inferior not because of any difference in the fish, because of one of the materials which went into the curing of ‘Jaadi’, namely, ‘Goraka’ (Garcinia Cambodge), being a product of a hill country tree, was not so easily available in the Mannar district. So, there was less use of ‘Goraka’ there for curing which made the difference in quality. On the other hand, ‘Goraka’ (Korakpulli in Tamil), was easily found in the Malabar coast, the hills of Mysore and Nilgiris being home for this tree.

There are two different varieties of ‘Goraka’ trees in the jungle lands. One was the normal ‘Goraka’ tree we know. The other was what was called ‘Rata Goraka’ which was conical in shape with big long leaves and bearing yellow coloured round fruits (unlike the other variety), which resembled a peach. These trees were very rare indeed.

• Malu Embul thiyal (Sour fish curry)
This is a very popular dish of a fish steak (usually an oily fish like kingfish) in a sour curry sauce. Sri Lanka has a great selection of delicious fish but the best “Go” for this recipe is Tuna or Seer fish. Best accompaniment if you want to bring down a few blocks of milk rice or a few hoppers. Can be used against those huge blocks of “Pittu” as well.

• Ala Hodi (Potato Currie)
Boiled potatoes well cooked on thick coconut milk is the basic recipe of this particular food item. Selected as one of the favorite curries among the local citizens, Potato curry can be accompanied with almost any main course and nutritious wise the curry it self stands on a stable stage.

• Thosai

The Tamils of Sri Lanka who mainly live in the northern and eastern parts of the island have preserced sone of their on distinctive ethnic breakfast. Thosai is a great favourite, delicious and nutritionally perfect. The base for this lentil pancake is oorid,
(Mungoradiatys), a back-skinned pulse of delicate flavour which is soaked and ground to a smooth batter. The batter is then allowed to rise, flavoured wih fried shallouts, curry leaves, fenugreek and cummin and cooked on a hot griddle greased with sesme oil. Thosai which resembles a tortilla, is eaten with a finely ground coconut and chilly sanbal and is a delicious and satisfying meal.

• Vadai

The classic partner for thosai is vadai-a triumph of Tamil cuisne. These are small savoury rissoles of ground oorid of dhal- a fine red lentil. The lentil paste is mixed with minced shallot, green chillies, curry leaves and a dash of cummin and red chilli powder, fashioned into flat cakes and deep fried in coconut oil.Oorid or ulundu vadai are always made with a hole in the center-rather like small doughnuts.

• Sweets


A well-known sweet is "Kavun", a cake made with rice flour and treacle and deep-fried to a golden brown. A variety of "Kavun", called "Moong Kavun" is made from green gram - a type of pulse - which is then ground to a paste and shaped like diamonds before frying.

• Friuts


•BANANA CATEGORY
• Embul Kessel (Banana category): - Relatively gives a bit of a sour taste when you eat and much softer yet tastier. Ideal with plain hoppers.
Seeni Kesel (Banana category): - This is very much sweeter compared to all the other banana types that you will find in Sri Lanka. Average sized and commonly found in all around the island.
• Koli Kuttu (Banana category): - This banana type was mainly used among the up class category and one of top selections when it comes to desserts. It is not that sweet but it will give this welcoming taste which you will tend to eat two or three more and will make your mouth water if you use this as an accompaniment with plain hoppers.
•Aana Maalu (Banana category): - Competitively large in size, this fruit is served for patients recovering from illnesses due to the fact of the teaming nutritious facts of the fruit. Suggest as a dessert after a heavy meal.

• MANGOES CATEGARY
• Rathu Amba (Red Mangos): - Immigrant to Sri Lanka from Malaysia. This fruit is relatively sweet but you have to be lucky to get a tastier one since most of them are sour due to the fact of the various deliberate fruit ripe maneuvers. Best as a dessert fruit.
• Kartha kollomban (Jaffna mangos): - Tropical endemic fruit mainly have roots in Jaffna. This fruit is the sweetest of all the other mangos. Comparatively large in size this fruit (ripe one) will give a heavenly taste when you take the fist bite. Ideal for a dessert after those heavy numbers of Kiri bath slabs.

• Mangus
Mangus (Mangustine ) again an immigrant from Malaysia, yet one of the favorites among children. You may have to put an extra force to rip the shell off but you will not feel sorry when you are being rewarded by the fruit stuffed in side.