Among the countries in South Asia, Sri Lanka has one of the more complex cuisines. That said, every traveler to the country should not forego the chance to taste the country’s unique food flavor. Having the chance to eat authentic Sri Lankan exotic food is an important part of discovering the country for what it really is – exciting and one-of a kind.
The influence of South India is very evident and expected, considering its proximity to Sri Lanka. Still. Sri Lankan food manages to be different from its main influence. Rice and spicy curries are mainstays plus some side dishes. There are many variations offered based on this combination and here lies the wonder of it all.
Kiribath
Kiribath is essentially rice cooked with coconut milk. Some ingredients such as cashew or sesame seeds can be added to provide variations. It is usually served with red onions and spices.
Hoppers
Hoppers are usually served for breakfast or dinner. Made from fermented batter of rice flour, coconut milk, and a dash of palm toddy, the result is food with a distinctive sour taste and fermentation ability. There are many varieties of this including milk hoppers, string hoppers, egg hoppers, and vandu appa which is a sweeter version.
Roti
Roti , being unleavened bread is one of the easiest to prepare among Sri Lankan food. It looks like pita bread when cooked and is served with spicy food. Its only ingredients are flour, water, and salt so that should be easy enough for everyone to make. It can also be paired with a whole lot of food options.
Travelers can try a lot of other Sri Lankan food fares such as the koola’ya which is a mixture of left-over curries, the pittu which is a funnel cake made from rice and grated coconut, and sweets like the kavun, bibikkan, and kalu dodol which is more difficult to make. The kotthu roti offers a different take on fried rice using shredded doughy pancakes and preferred meat, vegetables, onions, and eggs. The lamprais is a mixture of chicken, fish cutlet, boiled eggs, ash plaintains, eggplant, and rice, wrapped in banana leaves baked at low temperature for several hours.
The wildest adventure in Sri Lankan food is probably its famous Sri Lankan spicy which is equivalent to hot from very to extremely hot. Different food variations can be made simply by using Sri Lankan spices.
Originally posted on October 24, 2013 @ 8:57 pm