Bibikkan ( si, බිබික්කන්) is a traditional Sri Lankan coconut cake. It is a dark moist cake made of shredded

coconut The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family ( Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, the seed, or the ...

jaggery Jaggery is a traditional non-centrifugal cane sugar consumed in the Indian Subcontinent, Southeast Asia, and Africa. It is a concentrated product of cane juice and often date or palm sap without separation of the molasses and crystals, and can ...

(from the

sap Sap is a fluid transported in xylem cells (vessel elements or tracheids) or phloem sieve tube elements of a plant. These cells transport water and nutrients throughout the plant. Sap is distinct from latex, resin, or cell sap; it is a separa ...

of the

toddy palm Toddy palm is a common name for several species of palms used to produce palm wine, palm sugar and jaggery. Species so used and named include: *''Arenga pinnata'', the areng palm *''Borassus flabellifer'', the palmyra palm *''Caryota'', the fisht ...

) and

semolina Semolina is coarsely milled durum wheat mainly used in making couscous, and sweet puddings. The term semolina is also used to designate coarse millings of other varieties of wheat, and sometimes other grains (such as rice or corn) as well. Etymo ...

combined with a mixture of spices. Bibikkan is commonly prepared and consumed in celebration of festive and religious occasions, including

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...

New Year's Eve In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve, also known as Old Year's Day or Saint Sylvester's Day in many countries, is the evening or the entire day of the last day of the year, on 31 December. The last day of the year is commonly referred to ...

, Sinhala and

Tamil New Year Puthandu (), also known as Puthuvarudam, and the Tamil New Year, is the first day of year on the Tamil calendar, traditionally celebrated as a festival by Tamil Hindus. The festival date is set with the solar cycle of the lunisolar Hindu cal ...

Origins and history

Bibikkan is believed to have been introduced to Sri Lanka by the Portuguese, who colonised the coastal areas of the island in 1505 and remained until 1658.

Goan Catholics Goan Catholics ( gom, Goenchem Katholik) are an ethno-religious community of Indian Christians following the Roman Rite of worship from the Goa state, in the southern part of the Konkan region along the west coast of India. They are Konkani pe ...

serve a similar dish called

Bebinca ''Bebinca'' or ''bebinka'', (Konkani; ''bibik'') is a layer cake of Indo-Portuguese cuisine in Goa, India. In traditional baking, Bebinka has between 7 and 16 layers, but bakeries can modify the cake recipe as per convenience and taste. It ...

, which is almost identical to

Bibingka ''Bibingka'' (; ) commonly refers to a type of baked rice cake from the Philippines that is traditionally cooked in a terracotta oven lined with banana leaves and is usually eaten for breakfast or as merienda (mid-afternoon snack) especially du ...

, a traditional Filipino rice flour cake made with coconut milk, which is served on Christmas Day. Historically the

Mount Lavinia Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia ( si, දෙහිවල-ගල්කිස්ස, translit=Dehivala-Galkissa; ta, தெஹிவளை-கல்கிசை, translit=Tehivaḷai-Kalkicai), population 245,974 (2012) is the largest suburb of the City of ...

area has been associated with the production of Bibikkan, known locally as Poranu appa.

Description

The main ingredients of bibikan are jaggery, an unrefined syrup from the

of the Kithul palm tree, which has a rich flavour between

caramel Caramel ( or ) is an orange-brown confectionery product made by heating a range of sugars. It can be used as a flavoring in puddings and desserts, as a filling in bonbons, or as a topping for ice cream and custard. The process of caramelizatio ...

and

molasses Molasses () is a viscous substance resulting from refining sugarcane or sugar beets into sugar. Molasses varies in the amount of sugar, method of extraction and age of the plant. Sugarcane molasses is primarily used to sweeten and flavour foods ...

; dry roasted

(Uppama) or

rice flour Rice flour (also rice powder) is a form of flour made from finely milled rice. It is distinct from rice starch, which is usually produced by steeping rice in lye. Rice flour is a common substitute for wheat flour. It is also used as a thickening a ...

; and grated or shredded coconut. To make the dish, the semolina is dry roasted, the jaggery dissolved in hot water and brought to boil, to which the shredded coconut is added. The mixture is then allowed to cool before adding the semolina, cardamom, nutmeg, mace, ginger preserve, candied fruit peel, cashew nuts, salt, baking powder and Sri Lankan cinnamon which is then blended thoroughly. Separate eggs whisking the whites and yolks separately. Add the egg yolks and mix well. Add the lime rind and fold in the egg whites. Pour into a buttered baking tray and bake in a moderate oven. Leave to cool and cut into squares to serve.

References

{{Sri Lankan cuisine Sri Lankan desserts and sweets Foods containing coconut Sinhalese New Year foods Christmas cakes Semolina dishes

Origins and history

Description

See also

References