SRI LANKA FOOD

Standard Sri Lankan foods are spicy and it is advised to approach curries with caution! There are many vegetables, fruits, meats and seafoods in store for the intrepid traveller. Continental, Chinese, Indian and Japanese menus are often available in Colombo. A specialty is basic curry, made with coconut milk, sliced onion, green chilli, aromatic spices such as cloves, and nutmeg, cinnamon and saffron and aromatic leaves...

The Durian’s complex taxonomy is a result of addition and subtraction of many species from the genus durio and the Malvaceae family.

It was earlier mistaken to Annona muricata (soursop) as this particular fruit also has a thorny greenish skin akin to the durian fruit...

Although rambutan is a foreign fruit to our soil, since the day the seeds were planted in Sri Lanka it has become an exclusive aspect of the Sri Lankan culture. Legend says that the Portuguese had a fortress in Malwana and that they found that the soil in the Kelani Valley was ideal for the plant to thrive.

One of the earliest mentioned fruits in Sri Lanka is the mango. Other fruits growing wild in the dry and wet zone jungles in Sri Lanka include divul (woodapple), palu, weera, mora, kon, nelli, madan, goraka, tamarind, beli, koholle lavulu, timbiri, himbutu.

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.

Hoppers are unique to Sri Lanka which are usually consumed either for breakfast or lunch. A regular hopper is similar to a bowl shaped pancake which is crisp at the other edges. Hoppers (appa) are made from a fermented batter of rice flour, coconut milk and a dash of palm toddy...