Food in Sri Lanka, unique like it's culture
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
, Posted by lanka matha at 10:26 AM
Food in Sri Lanka is unique like its culture. 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.
An average Sri Lankan meal always consist of leaves and dry fish, and several vegetable curries. They make special sweets with coconut milk, flour and Honey at cultural festivals of New Year, vesak and Poson.
The curries come in many varieties of colours and flavours blended in Sri Lankan Hot Spices. Most of the species has a great ayurvedic value when used in curries.
Sri Lankans have added western influences to the customary diet such as rice and curry. Pittu ( a mixture of fresh rice flour, very lightly roasted and mixed with fresh grated coconut, then steamed in a bamboo mould or aluminum). Kiribath (cooked in thick coconut cream , for this unsweetened rice-pudding which is accompanied by a sharp chili relish called “lunumiris”), wattalappam (rich pudding of Malay origin made of coconut milk, juggery, cashew nuts, eggs, and various spices including cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg, Kottu and hoppers (“appa”), better cooked rapidly in a hot curved pan, accompanied by eggs, milk or savories Sri Lankan food also has Dutch and Portuguese influences, with the island’s Burgher community preserving this culture through traditional favorites such as Lamprais (rice cooked in stock and baked in a banana leaf), Breudher (Dutch Christmas cake) and Bolo Fiado (Portuguese-style layer cake)
Rice & Curry is the main food of Sri Lanka
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, cardomons, cloves, nutmeg and saffron are used to add flavours. 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 ‘Pappdam’, a ‘mallun’ 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 flavours 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.
Hoppers
Hoppers are much like sour-dough pancakes or muffins. The The Batteris terminated in the traditional way with a little palm toddy which acts as the ‘rising agent’, it also gives the hoppers a delicious liquor tang. The batter is left to rise overnight, then thinned with coconut cream and baked in a round cast-iron pan. The hopper has a soft, fluffy, well-risen centre, a golden brown crisp border and is lightly flavoured with a hint of palm toddy and sesame oil with which the pan is greased. An egg is sometimes baked into the centre, sunny-side up. Hoppers are equally good with hot sambals a hot sharp ‘relish’ of ground chilies, grated coconut’s shallots and cured fish or curries or with jam. The cardinal rule is to eat them hot and crispy.
String-hoppers
String hoppers are made from a hot-water dough of rice-meal pressed out in circles from a string mould on to little wicker mats. Then steamed, light and lacy . String hoppers make a mouthwatering meal with curry and sambol.Pittu
Pittu probably came to Sri Lanka with the Malay regiments of the European colonial period. It is however completely naturalized now and is a staple diet of Sri Lankan cuisine. Pittu is a mixture of fresh rice meal, very lightly roasted and mixed with fresh grated coconut then steamed in a bamboo or aluminum mould. It has a soft crumbly texture and is eaten with fresh coconut ‘milk’ and a hot chili relish or curry.
Kiribath (milk rice)
Kiribath, one of the very popular food in Sri Lanka and is a ceremonial specific and included in all special occasion menus Kiribath is translated in to ‘milk rice’ . The rice is cooked in thick coconut cream for this un sweetened rice-pudding which is accompanied by a sharp chilli relish called ‘Lunumiris’ or with a pre cooked mixture of coconut and reacle confectionary called ‘Panipol’
Kolakenda
It’s a modern nutritionist’s dream of a perfectly balanced meal and a porridge of brown rice and coconut cream flavoured with the juice of green herbs such as polpala (Averva Lanata) Hatha wariya (Asparagus falcatus), Gotukola (Hydrocotyle asiatica) or Elabatu (Solanum xanthocarpum) Kolakanda is served steaming hot with a piece of juggery.
Thosai
The Tamils of Sri Lanka who manly live in the northern and eastern parts of the island have preserved some of their own 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 flavor is soaked and ground to a smooth batter. The batter is then allowed to rise, flavored with fried shallots, curry leaves, fenugreek and cumin seeds and cooked on a hot griddle greased with sesame oil. Thosai which resembles a tortilla is eaten with finely ground coconut and chilly sambal and is a delicious and satisfying meal.
Uppuma
Uppuma is another favorite meal among the tamils. This is a savory porridge made of semolina and flavored with fried onion, chilly mustard and curry leaves.
Vadai
The classic partner for thosai is vadai-a triumph of Tamil cuisine. These are small savory rissoles of ground oorid of dhal – a fine red lentil. The lentil paste is mixed with minced shallot, green chilies, curry leaves and a dash of cumin seeds and red chili power, fashioned into flat cakes and deep friked in coconut oil. Oorid or Ulundu vadai are always made with a hole in the centre-rather like small doughnuts.
Roti
Roti is a quickie meal- a little cottagey and easy to prepare, what 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 equally good with chilie relish or with syrup, Shallots, greenchilies, curry leaves and Maldive (cured)fish flakes are added to bring in the changes.
HERBAL AYURVEDIC FOODS
It is amazing just how many herbal treatments and cures there are in Sri Lanka. Almost every herb, vegetable and fruit has a wide variety of medicinal properties, In short, there is a cure for every ailment if you know herbs well enough. Herbal medications are also becoming popular exports in Sri Lanka.
Welpenela
One of the commonest herbs with an array of medicinal uses is ‘Welpenela’. Its botanical term is Cardiospermum halicacabum and some of its other names are heart seed, black liquorice and balloon vine. It is found aplenty in markets and growing in many a home garden. This small and delicate wiry climber can be used to treat piles, rheumatism, nervous disorder and chronic bronchitis. Its power lies mostly in is leaves which can also be used as a poultice for skin diseases. – a paste of the leaves is a dressing for sores and wounds. Crushed leaves can also be inhaled to relieve headaches and the seeds used to relieve fever and body aches.
Karapincha
A popular flavoring leaf that is used wiely in Sri Lankan curries known as karapincha, is also very medicinal. The leaves roots, bark, stalk and flowers can be either boiled or powdered to gether to relieve any type of stomach disorder.
Bittergourd (Karawila)
The leaves of the Bittergourd plant or Karawila can be crushed and the juice massaged into the scalp for a good growth of hair and to help prevent hair loss. The ‘Karawila’ fruit, bitter as it is increases the flow of milk in nursing mothers, when eaten in sufficient quantities.Juice extract from Karawila is drunk by dis betics and get immediate result.
Kirindiya
This is known as Eclipta prostrate botanically, and it is a herb used in many refers to growth of the hair. This herb prevents the hair from becoming prematurely grey. Diseases of the skin can also be cured through this herb.
Cucumber
Cucumber, popular in salads, is herb which is known to keep the kidneys healthy, Cucumber seeds when roasted powdered and made into a coffee-like drink have been known to relieve colic. Thin slices of cucumber placed on tired eyes is supposed to have a soothing effect.
Pomegranate
For sore eyes, the flowers of the pomegranate (Punica granatum) tree known as “delun’ can give great relief. The buds of the tree are boiled and the infusion given to stop chronic diarrhea especially in children, The same infusion also relieves bronchitis. Bleeding from the nose can be checked by powdering the flowers of the pomegranate tree and applying it on the bleeding area.
Jak
The intriguing jak fruit is extremely nutritious and medicinal. Jak (Arrtocarpusreterophyllus) comes in two varieties in Sri Lanka. They are soft or ‘vala’ and hard or ‘waraka’. The latter is more popular than the soft. The bark of the Jak tree is used mainly for medical purposes including sprains and fractures. Tender Jak which is known as ‘polos’ ; can be made into a delicious curry and, in the diet of ancient Lankan royalty this was a dish that was rarely absent. Nursing mothers are given polos and boiled jak to increase milk .Polos curry also helps those recovering from diarrhea because ‘vala’ or the soft ripe jak is a laxative which can be eaten as it is. It helps clear the bowels and assists in digestion. It also helps relieve bronchitis when kept in bees honey and given to the patient each morning.’waraka’ or the hard jak varieties beneficial to diabetic patients. The leaves are dried, powdered and made into a coffee-like drink to be given to diabetics. According to an ancient recipe the ripe jak leaves are pounded and fried in gingili (sesame) oil and given to the diabetic patient each day. It is hard to imagine that such a simple recipe can be a cure for diabetes but the fact that it has been mentioned often in ancient books is proof of its efficacy.Mango
The delicious mango (Mangitera indica) too has its share of medicinal properties. All parts of the tree can be used medicinally. Tender leaves dried and powdered are given for diarrhea and diabetes. The smoke from he burning leaves can be inhaled for the relief of throat disorders and hiccups. The as is an effective remedy for burns and to remove warts on eyelids, the midrib of the mango leaves is burnt and the ash applied on the wart. The juice of the mango tree bark Has a remarkable effect on the mucus membrane. It can be given as a medicine to stop the discharge of mucus from the uterus, bowels and intestines. Bleeding piles an dysentery can be cured by the juice in addition to the white of an egg and pinch of opium. The green skin of the raw fruit is dried and powdered and two spoons of this powder in half a cup of cow’s milk with a teaspoonful of bees honey is another tonic for dysentery and piles. Meanwhile, the white juice that oozes near the stem when unripe mangoes are plucked can be mixed with lime and applied as a remedy for skin infections or diseases.Timbiri
Timibiri known botanically as Diospyris malabarcia, the tree of this fruit is found commonly in the dry zone of Sri Lanka. The ripe fruit is said to contain a high quantity of tannin contained in a gummy juice which is also useful in diarrhea and internal hemorrhage. A poultice of the bark helps in boils and tumours while a decoction of the bark mixed with ghee is a soothing remedy for burns. A powder iof the root bark can be prepared in a manner similar to coffee, which helps cure coughs.
Coral Tree
For an earache ‘erabadu’ (Erythrina variegeta) and also known as Coral Tree is highly recommended. The juice of the leaves of this decorative tree with brilliant scarle flowers, can be gently applied in drop form to the ears for relief. The fresh juice of the leaves, mixed with a bit of bees honey is a good remedy for tapeworm, threadworm and roundworm and the dosage is one teaspoon once a day. A preventive against worms is the cooking of tender leaves with coconut milk. The juice of the leaves can also be applied to joints of the body for relief from rheumatic pains.
Nelli
Another important fruit-medicine is the Nelli. This is a small green sour fruit with a very high quantity of vitamin C 2 There is hardly any disease for which the ‘nelli’ is not used either singly or in combination with other herbs. The ‘Nelli’ is given to strengthen the retina and improves weak and defective vision. If dried ‘Nelli’ is soaked overnight and the juice extracted and drunk each morning, it makes a good laxative. Leaves boiled and applied on skin eruptions is said to be beneficial. The ground leaves are said to cure eczema. Two table spoons of ‘Nelli’ mixed with a table spoon of bee’s honey, taken regularly each morning helps reduce bleeding piles, while raw ‘nelli’ sour as it may be improves complexion. Half a cup of ‘nelli’ juice twice a week helps bowel movements in order.
Kohomba (Margosa or Azadirachta)
This is useful for certain diseases. It has definite antiseptic properties.
Katukarosana (Picrorhiza Kurroa)
The roots of this plant have been used to make a preparation for blood purification; it is also employed in cough remedies.
Gotukola (Sentella Asiatica)
This is known as a remedy for ‘hey fever’ and catarrh. It has a high content of vitamin A and folic acid. It’s commercially available now as a herbal and in capsule form.
Sri Lankan Beverages are mainly boiled plant parts which possess an ayurvedic value. People rarely drink fresh drinks, such as young coconuts, either green or orange color , Oranges, Limes etc. Tea, with milk or without milk, is the main drink not as a ayurvedic drink but as a day to day beverage for refreshing. However in rural areas there are other kinds of drinks and tea is not popular since tea is expensive.
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