Sri Lanka is an island nation located in the Indian Ocean, roughly about the size of West Virginia. The population of about 19.4 million (World Bank, 2000) consists mainly of Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims, and Burghers (people of Dutch decent). The majority of the population are Buddhists, while Hinduism, several forms of Christianity, and Islam are also practiced. Between 1505 and 1948 the country was partially or fully under the colonial rule of the Portuguese, the Dutch, and the British.
Long before the Europeans ruled, history records interactions with other Asian nations. The cuisine found today is a mix of traditional Sri Lankan dishes, and foods and cooking methods adopted from the visitors. An interesting note is the absence of baking in traditional cooking. Some differences or variations can be found between the cuisines of the different ethnic groups as well.
The main staple of Sri Lanka is (non-sticky) rice. Rice is not a side dish as is found in the U.S. Several domestic rice varieties have been developed within the country to meet the local tastes. A typical Sri Lankan meal would consist of several vegetable dishes and possibly a legume. A fish or meat dish is also prepared. All vegetable and fish or meat dishes are considered "curries", although they could be cooked with or without the gravy. Curries are usually prepared spicy and hot.
Most of the gravies are coconut-milk-based. (Just as an aside, no part of the coconut palm goes to waste, but is used as food, both as non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages, in construction for beams and thatching material, and in traditional religious and cultural events as ornamentation.) It is also common to find at least one green leafy vegetable to accompany rice. The rice is served first, and then the curries served on the same plate, on the edge of rice. A little bit of each curry is mixed with the rice to eat. To mix all your food on the plate at once is considered impolite.
Food is commonly eaten with fingers. As a child, one is constantly trained to clean up before and after a meal. There are etiquettes on what part of the fingers can be used to eat food without being unseemly. Water is the beverage usually served with meals in most Sri Lankan homes.
Fruits are a common dessert for the average person, while several other sweet desserts are also found. Curd (similar to yogurt, but with a different consistency) made out of cows' milk or water buffalo milk with palm treacle is another traditional favorite. As with any other cuisine, there are some curries and desserts that are made only for special occasions and festivities, partly due to the time and skills needed in preparation.
The dishes featured at the 2002 International dinner were very representative of current Sri Lankan cuisine. This is the second time that Sri Lankan dishes were available at the International Dinner at the YMCA. The majority of the Sri Lankans in the Urbana-Champaign area are affiliated with the university. A much larger group of people volunteered to cook this year, including UIUC graduate students and their families, and Urbana-Champaign community members.
The menu included vegetarian and non-vegetarian main dishes to accompany rice, and three traditional desserts. The main dishes were a fried potato curry, a spicy pineapple dish, fish cutlets, a fried shrimp curry, dhal (lentils), and a green jack fruit curry. All dessert items, viz., the wood apple drink, the date cake, and Watalappan (influenced by the Malay community of Sri Lanka) were completely served up by the end of the dinner. In 2000, the Sri Lankans from Urbana-Champaign area also hosted a well-received dinner at the Cosmopolitan Club.
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| Sri Lankan
cooks and servers at the International Dinner. Front row (kneeling/squatting): L to R: Pradeeptha De Saram, Ajith Abeysinghe, Indu Rupassara, Nirmala Gunapala Middle Row: L to R: Sudini Padmasiri, Trudy van der Straaten, Chandani Perera, Elmo Perera, Nishani Vithana, Geethani Gunasena, Viveka Kudaligama Back Row: L to R: Sanath Jayasena, Maheshi Cabraal, Udara Cabraal Not pictured: Andrew Trapp |