Hello Marina!
Good day!
Tell us a little about yourself, how long have you lived in Sri Lanka and what prompted you to go to this country and stay there?
My husband and I came to Sri Lanka for the first time in 2015 to visit my friend. She has lived here for a long time, so we had our own guide around the country, and there was someone to tell about the way of life and the peculiarities of life on the island. We fell in love with Sri Lanka immediately and forever!
You know, as they say - or the country "enters" and you understand that this is the place where you would like to live. Or leaves you indifferent and you leave without regret. When we left, we already planned to return as soon as possible and stay for a long time. We have been living in Sri Lanka for almost two years, gradually learning the Sinhalese language, getting to know the culture and traditions. The attitude towards foreigners is very friendly here, Sri Lankans like it when I ask how and what they cook, where to buy the right products, what to cook from local vegetables.
We are interested in the peculiarities of the local cuisine and everything related to food in Sri Lanka, so straight to the point - Is there an idea that can describe the cuisine in Sri Lanka or some characteristic features?
Sri Lankans are very conservative, conservatism manifests itself in everything. They keep their culinary traditions. They cook and eat strictly by the hour. Three times a day. Women are mostly engaged in household chores or work at home. Therefore, the food is always freshly prepared. They cook only national dishes, they show no interest in European or any other cuisine. Home economics for girls is one of the main subjects in schools.
There is even an exam. By the end of school, a girl should be able to receive guests, cook several types of curries from vegetables, fish, chicken, know which rice is suitable for which dish - in general, be the hostess in the kitchen.
What do they eat in Sri Lanka? What are 5-10 main dishes?
The main food in Sri Lanka is curry rice. Sri Lankans can eat it three times a day and so every day. In the morning, afternoon and evening rice, only curry sauces change, and there are a lot of them, you can cook for a week and not repeat. Usually curry is made from seasonal vegetables, fish or chicken on holidays.
Fried rice (Fried rise). Boiled and then fried basmati rice is mixed with fried vegetables, spices. There are many variations: with egg, chicken, seafood.
Cottu - chopped tortillas made from flour and coconut flakes, fried in a dry roasting pan. Usually, a finely chopped flat cake is mixed with fried vegetables, eggs, fish, chicken.
Rotti - Sri Lankan pies made of thin unleavened dough with spicy fillings.
Hoppers - thin crispy pancakes, baked in a special pan in the shape of a bowl. The dough is made from rice flour and coconut milk. Served with vegetables, eggs or spicy sambol.
Gave - red lentils boiled in coconut milk. Prepared with the addition of hot pepper, garlic, spices. Serve with curry rice or as a thick soup.
Sambol. This is a hot-spicy blend of grated fresh coconut, shallots, chili peppers and lime juice. Dried Maldivian fish is sometimes added. Serve with curry rice or as a side dish for other dishes.
What is exotic in local cuisine?
Nothing exotic. Maybe only that mangoes can be eaten with salt and pepper, add salt to sweet juices. Oh, still dried fish! Despite the abundance of fresh fish, Sri Lankans buy dried fish, soak or grind in a mortar and add sambol to various dishes, mainly curries and salads.
What type of food is the most developed in the country - cafes / restaurants / canteens / street food?
There is almost no street food in Sri Lanka. There are mobile mini-bakeries where pies and all sorts of dough snacks are fried or they sell boiled chickpeas with spices. There are many restaurants, cafes with various cuisines in tourist places. Where there are no tourists, there is only local food in the cafe: several types of curries, cottu, fried rice. In general, we can say that preference is given to homemade food. If they go to a restaurant, then there must be a reason for this.
What features are there in the ingredients of dishes in Sri Lanka? Which ones are used most often?
The main food product is rice. This is followed by coconut milk and grated coconut pulp, lentils, dried fish, vegetables. Fruits are almost never eaten, fresh vegetables are also rare, and curry is made from them. Chicken and fish are fried until black, it is believed that if the crust is light, then it is poorly fried and you can get poisoned. All food is very spicy, chili is abundant everywhere! Fresh, dried, ground, whole pods - it's everywhere.
What are the prices for food in Sri Lanka?
Vegetables, fruits and local produce are relatively inexpensive.
- Basmati rice 150-170 rupees per 1 kg. (1 $ - 180 rupees)
- Lentils - 100-120 rupees
- Chicken (carcass) - 450 rupees per 1 kg.
- Chicken (fillet) - 600 rupees per 1 kg.
- Pork - 800 rupees per 1 kg.
- Milk - 180 rupees per 1 liter.
- Brown sugar - 120 rupees per 1 kg.
- Potatoes - 160 rupees per 1 kg.
- Coconut - 50 rupees 1 pc.
- Tomatoes - 100-150 rupees per 1 kg.
- Onions - 150 rupees per 1 kg.
- Bananas - 50-150 rupees per 1 kg (depending on the variety).
- Pineapples - 100-250 rupees per 1 pc. (depends on the season and weight).
- Mango in season - 50-100 rupees per 1 kg.
- Papaya - 50-100 rupees per 1 kg.
- Large avocado - 50-70 rupees 1 pc.
- Fresh tuna - 400-700 rupees per 1 kg. (depends on the season).
- Large fresh shrimps - 800-1200 rupees per 1 kg. (from the season).
Imported products are expensive:
- Small apples - 100 rupees for 4-5 pcs.
- Large apples - from 70 rupees per 1 pc.
- Grapes - about 1000 rupees per 1 kg.
- Oranges - 100 rupees 1 pc.
- Large Thai mango - from 700 rupees per 1 kg.
- Strawberries - from 800 rupees for 250 g.
- Cheese - from 350 rupees per 200 g. and ad infinitum.
- Sausage (cervelat) - 1600 rupees for 250 g.
- Butter - 600 rupees for a pack of 250 g.
- Bell pepper - 1650 rupees per 1 kg.
- Zucchini and zucchini - 500-750 rupees per 1 kg.
- Olives, olives - from 500 rupees for a small can.
- Dill - 40-50 rupees for 2-3 branches.
- Chocolate - from 600 rupees per 100 g bar.
What else interesting can you tell us about the local cuisine?
I really like the practicality of using products. For example, coconut. The juice is drunk - it is very healthy and tasty. The white pulp is rubbed, poured with water, squeezed out - coconut milk is obtained, with which the curry is prepared. Oilcake (coconut flakes) are added to salads, pastries, sambol, desserts, sweets.
Or jack fruit. Unripe is used as a vegetable component in curry; it tastes like boiled potatoes. Ripe very sweet, eaten fresh. The seeds are peeled from the shell, boiled and also added to the curry. Local herbs and even flowers are widely used as an additive in dishes. Sri Lanka's cuisine is very distinctive, as bright and versatile as the country itself.
Article author: Marina Vetrova
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