Sri Lanka
Jaggery Oil Cake
අතිරස
Rice flour and jaggery treacle kneaded into a stiff dough, flattened into discs and deep-fried until dark, dense and very sweet.
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Sri Lanka
Explore 82 foods connected to Sri Lanka, from everyday staples to rare local specialties.
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Sri Lanka Essentials
11 editor-selected foods for understanding the place through what people eat.
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Traditional foods from Sri Lanka.
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Sri Lanka
King Coconut (Thambili)
තැඹිලි ගෙඩිය
A bright orange coconut grown for its water rather than its flesh, with a thin shell and a soft jelly lining.
Southern Province, Sri Lanka
Kirala Juice
කිරල යුෂ
The pulp of the kirala fruit (Lumnitzera littorea) beaten with water and sugar into a pale, floral, slightly astringent drink.
Sri Lanka
Kithul Treacle
කිතුල් පැණි
Sap tapped from the flower of the fishtail palm and boiled down into a dark, smoky syrup with a faintly bitter edge.
Sri Lanka
Kurakkan Leaf Parcels
හලාප
Finger millet flour mixed with coconut and treacle, wrapped in a kanda leaf and steamed, eaten with the leaf peeled back.
Colombo, Sri Lanka
Lamprais
ලම්ප්රයිස්
Stock-cooked rice, a mixed meat curry, blachan, seeni sambol, ash plantain and two frikkadel meatballs wrapped in a banana leaf and baked.
Sri Lanka
Lattice Sweet
අස්මි
A fried rice-flour disc drizzled with threads of treacle syrup into a lattice, made only for the New Year table.
Sri Lanka
Love Cake
ලව් කේක්
A rich semolina and cashew cake flavoured with rose water, honey and pumpkin preserve, cut into small squares.
Maldives
Maldives Fish
ވަޅޯމަސް
Cured skipjack tuna — gutted, boiled, smoked, and sun-dried to a tarry black, rock-hard block that is flaked or shaved into Maldivian dishes and Sri Lankan sambols.
Indonesia
Mangosteen
Manggis
Queen of fruits, sweet-tangy white segments in purple rind, deep purple rind with juicy white segments and sweet-tart balance, a legendary Malaysian tropical fruit
India
Medu Vada
मेदू वड़ा
A savory, donut-shaped fritter made from urad dal batter, deep-fried until golden. It is crisp outside, soft inside, and served with sambar and chutney
Sri Lanka
Milk Rice
කිරිබත්
Rice cooked in thick coconut milk until it sets, pressed into a tray and cut into diamonds, eaten with chilli sambol or jaggery.
Sri Lanka
Milk Toffee
කිරි අලුවා
Sweetened condensed milk boiled with sugar and cashew, poured onto a tray and cut into squares when set, soft and fudgy.
Sri Lanka
Mung Bean Oil Cake
මුං කැවුම්
Mung bean flour and rice flour mixed with treacle into a diamond-shaped paste and deep-fried so it puffs and turns dark golden.
Jaffna, Sri Lanka
Northern Seafood Broth
ஒடியல் கூழ்
A thick seafood broth of crab, prawn, cuttlefish and fish thickened with palmyra root flour and soured with tamarind, eaten scalding hot with the fingers.
Sri Lanka
Oil Cake
කැවුම්
Rice flour and palm treacle batter deep-fried in a ladle of coconut oil so it forms a peak on top, made for the April New Year.
Sri Lanka
Palm Jaggery
හකුරු
Palm sap boiled until it sets into hard blocks or moulded cakes, dark and caramel-flavoured, used in sweets and eaten with tea.
Sri Lanka
Pennywort
ගොටුකොළ
Centella asiatica leaves are sold fresh as gotu kola and used as a leafy green in Sri Lankan cooking
Sri Lanka
Pickled Aubergine
වම්බටු මෝජු
Aubergine strips deep-fried until leathery, then cooked with mustard, vinegar, sugar and green chilli into a sweet-sour pickle.
Jaffna, India
Pongal
पोंगल
A South Indian rice and lentil dish tempered with black pepper, cumin, ginger, and ghee. It is eaten for breakfast, especially during the harvest festival.
Colombo, Sri Lanka
Prawn Fritters
ඉස්සෝ වඩේ
A flat lentil-flour fritter with whole prawns pressed on top, deep-fried and sold from carts along the coast road.
Kerala, India
Puttu
പുട്ട്
A cylindrical steamed rice cake from Kerala and Tamil Nadu, layered with grated coconut. It is served with kadala curry or banana.
Costa Rica
Rambutan
Mamón chino
Rambutan, red hairy fruit with sweet translucent flesh, slightly acidic, season July-October, a popular Costa Rican tropical fruit
Sri Lanka
Rice Flour Balls
අග්ගලා
Roasted rice flour pounded with palm treacle, pepper and salt into a stiff paste, rolled into small balls and dusted with more rice flour.
Sri Lanka
Rice Flour Diamonds
අලුවා
Roasted rice flour worked with treacle or sugar syrup and cashew, rolled flat and cut into diamonds.
Sri Lanka
Roasted Curry Powder
තුනපහ
Coriander, cumin, fennel, cinnamon, cardamom and curry leaf roasted dark and ground, the base of the island's black curries.
Sri Lanka
Sesame Balls
තල ගුලි
Roasted sesame seeds pounded with palm treacle or jaggery into a stiff paste and rolled into balls wrapped in paper twists.
Southern Province, Sri Lanka
Sour Fish Curry
අඹුල් තියල්
Tuna cubes cooked dry with black pepper and goraka, a sour dried fruit, until the pieces are coated black and keep for days without refrigeration.
Sri Lanka
Spiced Chickpeas
කඩල
Boiled chickpeas tempered with onion, chilli, curry leaf and scraped coconut, sold in paper cones at bus stops and temples.
Sri Lanka
Spiced Fried Potatoes
අල බැදුම
Boiled potato cut into wedges and fried with onion, chilli, curry leaf and dried maldive fish until the edges crisp.
Sri Lanka
Spiced Snack Mix
බෝම්බේ මොච්
A fried mix of gram flour noodles, split peas, peanuts and curry leaf, sold by weight in paper bags at bus stands.
Sri Lanka
Sri Lankan Chicken Curry
කුකුලස් මස් කරි
Chicken on the bone simmered in coconut milk with roasted curry powder, pandan, curry leaf, cinnamon and tomato until the gravy is thick and reddish.
Sri Lanka
Sri Lankan Dhal Curry
පරිප්පු
Red lentils cooked soft in coconut milk with turmeric, curry leaf, pandan and green chilli, finished with a tempering of fried onion and mustard seed.
Sri Lanka
Sri Lankan Ginger Beer
ඉඟුරු බියර්
A sweet, non-alcoholic ginger drink in a glass bottle, sold everywhere and drunk cold with a wedge of lime.
Sri Lanka
Sri Lankan Lager
ලයන් ලාගර්
A pale lager brewed in the hill country since the 19th century, along with a heavy stout that is unexpectedly good.
Sri Lanka
Sri Lankan Pickle
අච්චාරු
Carrot, onion, green chilli and unripe fruit pickled with mustard, vinegar and sugar, sold in jars and by the bag at roadside stalls.