Often Sri Lankan cuisine is confused with other culinary styles. However it derives it’s distinctiveness from the freshness of its herbs, spices and methods used to grind, pound, roast, temper, and combine. It’s really the personal touch and love that creates the foods uniqueness and it’s flavors.
Local Sri Lankan spices used in curries are chili, turmeric, cinnamon, cardamom, coriander, rampe (pandamus leaves), curry leaves, mustard, tamarind and
Sri Lankan food is slow to prepare and hot to consume. Because Sri Lankan food takes sometime to prepare, order early state what you want and leave the cooks to work their magic.
Eating Sri Lankan style is one of life great pleasures. Sri Lankans say that it’s only by eating by fingers that you can fully enjoy the texture of the food. First you smell, then you feel and finally you taste.
Go ahead give it a try! Ones the food is served you can use your fingertips of your right hand (always use your right hand) to eat the food on your plate. Separate a little rice and gradually add some curry to form a mouth full sized wad of food. Lift the wad and place it all in your mouth, don’t let the food pass the middles knuckles on our fingers and try not to drop any on the way to your mouth.
We volunteered to help out a small restaurant and design their menu. Below you will find simply basic food tasting in Sri Lanka.
Below you can maneuver through the menu enlarge no problem.