Seenakku - a glutinous rice cake often served with grated coconut.
''Treacle-flavored sweets:''
* Undu Walalu/Undu wal or Pani walalu - A sweet from the Mathale area, prepared using
urad bean
''Vigna mungo'', also known as black gram, urad bean, urid bean, mash kalai, uzhunnu parippu, ulundu paruppu, minapa pappu, uddu, or black matpe, is a bean grown in South Asia. Like its relative, the mung bean, it has been reclassified from the ...
flour and
kithul treacle.
* Aggala - Rice balls flavored with
treacle
Treacle () is any uncrystallised syrup made during the refining of sugar.Oxford Dictionary The most common forms of treacle are golden syrup, a pale variety, and a darker variety known as black treacle, similar to molasses. Black treacle has a ...
* Weli Thalapa - Made from
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 coconut treacle
*
Aasmi
Aasmi ( si, ආස්මී) is a traditional Sri Lankan deep-fried sweet snack, which is served on Aluth Avurudda/Puthandu (the Sinhalese/Tamil New Years), weddings and birthdays.
It is made with a combination rice flour and coconut milk, whic ...
- Made with
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 the juice of a leaf called ''
dawul kurundu'' (
okra
Okra or Okro (, ), ''Abelmoschus esculentus'', known in many English-speaking countries as ladies' fingers or ochro, is a flowering plant in the mallow family. It has edible green seed pods. The geographical origin of okra is disputed, with su ...
juice can be used as a substitute), deep fried and topped with pink-coloured treacle.
''Puddings and toffees:''
*
Kalu Dodol
Kalu dodol ( si, කලු දොදොල්, Tamil: தொடோல்) is a sweet dish, a type of dodol that is popular in Sri Lanka. The dark and sticky dish consists mainly of kithul jaggery (from the sap of the toddy palm), rice flour and ...
- A solid
toffee
Toffee is a confection made by caramelizing sugar or molasses (creating inverted sugar) along with butter, and occasionally flour. The mixture is heated until its temperature reaches the hard crack stage of . While being prepared, toffee is ...
-, jelly-like confection made by lengthy reduction of coconut milk, thickened with rice flour and sweetened with
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 ...
.
*
Watalappam
Watalappam (also called watalappan or vattalappam) (, , Sri Lankan Malay: ''serikaya'') is a coconut custard pudding made of coconut milk or condensed milk, jaggery, cashew nuts, eggs, various spices, including cardamom, cloves, and nutm ...
- A steamed pudding made with
coconut milk
Coconut milk is an opaque, milky-white liquid extracted from the grated pulp of mature coconuts. The opacity and rich taste of coconut milk are due to its high oil content, most of which is saturated fat. Coconut milk is a traditional food i ...
,
eggs
Humans and human ancestors have scavenged and eaten animal eggs for millions of years. Humans in Southeast Asia had domesticated chickens and harvested their eggs for food by 1,500 BCE. The most widely consumed eggs are those of fowl, especial ...
, and jaggery. First introduced by the
Malay
Malay may refer to:
Languages
* Malay language or Bahasa Melayu, a major Austronesian language spoken in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore
** History of the Malay language, the Malay language from the 4th to the 14th century
** Indonesi ...
immigrants, watalappam has become a staple of Sri Lankan desserts.
''Other sweets:''
*
Thala Guli - Made from ground
sesame
Sesame ( or ; ''Sesamum indicum'') is a flowering plant in the genus ''Sesamum'', also called benne. Numerous wild relatives occur in Africa and a smaller number in India. It is widely naturalized in tropical regions around the world and is cu ...
and jaggery with finely grated coconut.
*
Kiri aluwa or Milk Toffee - Made with sweetened
condensed milk
Condensed milk is cow's milk from which water has been removed (roughly 60% of it). It is most often found with sugar added, in the form of ''sweetened condensed milk'' (SCM), to the extent that the terms "condensed milk" and "sweetened condens ...
or sugar-thickened pure cow's milk. Cardamom/sweet cumin and cashews are added for more taste.
File:Konda Kavum 01.JPG, Konda Kevum
File:Kokis.JPG, Kokis
File:Kalu Dodol.JPG, Kalu Dodol
File:Sri Lankan Swiss roll.jpg, Sri Lankan Swiss roll
Short eats
"
Short eats" are a variety of snacks that are bought by the dozen from "short eat" shops and restaurants. These are eaten on the go, mainly for breakfast or during the evening.
Short eats include
pastries
Pastry is baked food made with a dough of flour, water and shortening (solid fats, including butter or lard) that may be savoury or sweetened. Sweetened pastries are often described as '' bakers' confectionery''. The word "pastries" suggests ma ...
, Chinese rolls and
patties
A patty or burger (in British English) is a flattened, usually round, serving of ground meat and/or legumes, grains, vegetables, or meat alternatives. Patties are found in multiple cuisines throughout the world.
In British and American En ...
. Other short eats include:
*Vade - parippu vade,
ulundu vade, isso (shrimp) vade, crab vade
*Chinese rolls or
egg roll
Egg rolls are a variety of deep-fried appetizers served in American Chinese restaurants. An egg roll is a cylindrical, savory roll with shredded cabbage, chopped meat, or other fillings inside a thickly-wrapped wheat flour skin, which is frie ...
s, which often contain minced meats, potatoes, and vegetables
*Patties and pastries - filled with vegetables, meat, or fish
*Vegetable/fish roti - a flatbread with a filling rolled into a triangular shape and baked
Short eats are served at parties or to guests when they visit a home. Western food such as hot dogs and hamburgers have arrived in Sri Lanka, with the
globalization
Globalization, or globalisation (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is the process of interaction and integration among people, companies, and governments worldwide. The term ''globalization'' first appeared in the early 20t ...
of fast-food chains such as
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechri ...
,
KFC
KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) is an American fast food restaurant chain headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, that specializes in fried chicken. It is the world's second-largest restaurant chain (as measured by sales) after McDonald's, with 2 ...
and
Pizza Hut
Pizza Hut is an American multinational restaurant chain and international franchise founded in 1958 in Wichita, Kansas by Dan and Frank Carney. They serve their signature pan pizza and other dishes including pasta, breadsticks and dessert at d ...
. However, foods from these establishments are not usually considered short eats. Additionally, hot dogs and hamburgers are also modified to fit local tastes.
Beverages
Beverages commonly served in Sri Lanka include:
*
Faluda
A ''falooda'' is a Mughlai Indian version of a cold dessert made with noodles. It has origins in the Persian dish '' faloodeh'', variants of which are found across West, Central, and South Asia. Traditionally it is made by mixing rose syrup, ...
- a mixture of syrup, ice cream, jelly pieces and
basil
Basil (, ; ''Ocimum basilicum'' , also called great basil, is a culinary herb of the family Lamiaceae (mints). It is a tender plant, and is used in cuisines worldwide. In Western cuisine, the generic term "basil" refers to the variety also kno ...
seeds, served cold
*
Fruit juice
Juice is a drink made from the extraction or pressing of the natural liquid contained in fruit and vegetables. It can also refer to liquids that are flavored with concentrate or other biological food sources, such as meat or seafood, such as ...
- including lime and
passionfruit
''Passiflora edulis,'' commonly known as passion fruit, is a vine species of passion flower native to southern Brazil through Paraguay and northern Argentina. It is cultivated commercially in tropical and subtropical areas for its sweet, seedy f ...
juice
*
King coconut
King coconut (''Cocos nucifera var aurantiaca'') is a variety of coconut, native to the Sri Lanka. The King Coconut also found in India and Indonesia. where it is known as Thæmbili (Sinhala language, Sinhala''තැඹිලි''). Less sugar ...
water
*
Tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of '' Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of southwestern China and northe ...
*
Toddy - a mildly alcoholic drink made from
palm tree
The Arecaceae is a family of perennial flowering plants in the monocot order Arecales. Their growth form can be climbers, shrubs, tree-like and stemless plants, all commonly known as palms. Those having a tree-like form are called palm trees ...
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 ...
*
Arrack
Arrack is a distilled alcoholic drink typically produced in India, Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia, made from the fermented sap of coconut flowers or sugarcane, and also with grain (e.g. red rice) or fruit depending upon the country of origin. It ...
- an alcoholic spirit made from the fermented sap of the coconut flower.
*
Wood Apple juice
See also
*
Faluda
A ''falooda'' is a Mughlai Indian version of a cold dessert made with noodles. It has origins in the Persian dish '' faloodeh'', variants of which are found across West, Central, and South Asia. Traditionally it is made by mixing rose syrup, ...
*
Kottu
Kottu roti ( ta, கொத்து ரொட்டி; si, කොත්තු රොටි), alternatively spelled kothu roti, is a Sri Lankan dish consisting of chopped roti, a meat curry dish of choice (such as mutton, beef, seafood, or ch ...
*
Pittu
Puttu ( ml, പുട്ട്; ta, புட்டு; si, පිට්ටු) (pronounced ), alternatively spelled pittu ( ta, பிட்டு), is a dish native to the South Indian states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and parts of Karnataka, ...
*
Traditional rice of Sri Lanka
Rice in Sri Lanka has played an important role in the country's functioning and survival for centuries. Rice continues to be a staple of traditional Sri Lankan cuisine today.
History Early history
Sri Lankan people may have started cultivating ...
References
External links
{{Authority control
South Asian cuisine
Cuisine
A cuisine is a style of cooking characterized by distinctive ingredients, techniques and dishes, and usually associated with a specific culture or geographic region. Regional food preparation techniques, customs, and ingredients combine to ...
Sinhalese culture