Healthy food from Sri Lankan Cuisine
By: Sewwandi Senevirathna
Tags: Sri Lanka, Food

Asian food traditions are famous for cuisines that are very spicy. So when we talk about spicy foods Sri Lanka also maintains a higher rank. In here people have their own and special food tradition. These cuisines are not only spicy and mouthwatering those are healthy as well. So let’s explore the healthy content of Sri Lankan cuisines.

The fundamental Food is Rice

As a tropical country, Sri Lanka has a wonderful sunny weather half of the year and rain in the other half of the year. So from the ancient time they cultivated rice and it naturally becomes the main food. Apart from the main meals, they make thousands of sweets and desserts from using it and you can not imagine the taste of those. As an example, they make sweets like Keum, Kokis, Asmee, Aggala and lot more using rice flour and trickle. You know what, traditional rice is one of the most nutritious staple foods that contain good carbohydrate. From the start, they are people who work hard with spending a lot of physical strength. So rice giving them the energy and carbohydrate they want. Apart from rice, there is a wide range of variety in their foods like Hoppers, String Hoppers, Rotti, Pittu, Those, and types of grains like chickpeas, Mung bean and Kawpi beans which contain protein.

Ingredients of the cuisines

Sri Lanka is really popular for high-quality spices that use to make their meals extraordinary delicious. They use a combination of these spices for the food as a habit to make a good aroma and taste. As an example, there is no curry in this country that do not use curry leaves and turmeric. This is very good for blood and it uses as a treatment for people with critical sicknesses like cancer and diabetic. Cloves, Cinnamon, cardamon, pepper, Lemongrass and Nutmeg are usually common in every kitchen. These herbs contain a huge value in medicinal use. They are avoiding illnesses with their food culture before even it happens. Coconut oil and coconut milk is the base of every cuisine in Sri Lanka. This is more healthy fat and it does not gain any weight. So they do not have any weight problems and you can taste a different milky taste in those.

Meat Consume is less

Sri Lanka has a mixed food culture with various religious people. But in there they give priority to vegetables, fruits and leaves than the meat. Red meat consumption is low comparing other countries in the world. The most popular meat is Chicken, the white meat. They have a specific way to make this curry with a truckload of spices to make spicy or make sweet but spicy. You got to try it. And the other dairy products like butter and cheese are not included to tradition. Mostly they use eggs, fish and dried fish to there daily meals. So there is less fat in this type of foods hence people only get protein without the fat and calories.

Desserts

Desserts are mostly focused on a wide range of tropical fruits. If you travel to this island you will find a lot of cool spots that offer you a fresh glass of pineapple, watermelon, mango or passion fruits. They use less sugar and no sugar at all for this type of drinks. They never have deprived of any kind of Vitamins and Minerals. The country is enriched with many kinds of fruits and they consume most fruits to make desserts. Waraka, Durian, Mangus, Rambutan are some tropical fruits that are really sweet but did not contain any harmful sugar. It's like a paradise of fruits. And one of the most popular desserts is curd and fresh trickle. They use to bring this to there relatives as a gift in tradition. It considers as a sweet tradition. Watalappan is also a wonderful dessert you only would find in Sri Lanka. It makes using eggs and milk. People never ever say No to this sweet dessert.

Snacks

If you believe me or not Sri Lanka has the most healthy food culture ever. In here junk food also really could not consider as junk foods. Famous junk foods are mostly deep fried like Casava chips which are spicy and crunchy. Deep fried peanuts, deep fried chickpeas, murukku, Puhul Dosi which are made from a fruit name Puhul, Wade which made from dhal, boiled Veralu with chillies, raw mango with chillies, raw pineapple with chillies, guava with chilli are some famous examples you can find anywhere.

Most popular foods you have to try

There is an enormous list of them but not anything can beat the first place of kottu. It makes Parata and a lot of vegetables. If you like there are chicken kottu, egg kottu vegetable kottu and cheese kottu also. Usually, it makes people feel like fire in their mouth. They use a lot of chilly and spices to make this. And another one is Hoppers. You only found this food in Sri Lanka. It makes with coconut milk and rice flour. Usually, it eats with a Katta Sambol which is prepared by onions and a lot of chilli with Maldive fish. There is a not a single person would avoid the green jackfruit curry with their rice. It is one of the most delicious curries they make. And fish Ambul Thiyal also maintains a front position in the list of favourite in their traditional foods.

Wrap up

The cultural difference in each country can be described mainly in their cuisine or food culture. Sri Lanka also has a unique tradition of food their own. They had amazing Ayurvedic medicinal combination with the food culture. So they eat just not for hunger but also for health. It’s amazing. So you have to try them all and I bet you love them and never regret it.