If Asian cuisine is colourful, Sri Lankan cuisine is a rainbow of flavours. Because its cuisine, exotic thanks to the fruits and many essences used, inherits directly from the gastronomy of southern India, through clever ideas and new inventions. We are in the tropics, almost on the equator. But also on an island on the shores of the Indian Ocean where you can feast on fish. And then, the country that was called Ceylon until 1972 also made its reputation on the quality of its tea. Add to this a colonial history that brought spices and fruits from Asia and Africa, and the Sri Lankan recipe is written. 

Highly prized flavours from around the world

While many of its fruits originate in Malaysia, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, saffron and cardamom also grow in great abundance on the island. The richness of these flavours can be found in family and gourmet dishes, the many karis, desserts, sorbets and chutneys straight from the British past. While the spice mixtures, dosed at the discretion of chefs, are as many combinations of taste and intensity.

Faced with this wealth, Sindbad the Sailor quickly traded his own goods for nutmeg, cloves, pepper and ginger, as told in the Arabian Nights. This was before Sri Lanka became the world's largest cinnamon producer in its own right.

On the Spice Route

And yes, Sri Lanka has always been a stop on the Spice Route. This famous route opened by Vasco de Gama at the end of the 15th century, and the stopover in Colombo, the ancient capital that gives its name to the famous blend, speaks volumes about the richness of the plants, seeds and spices that Sri Lankan gastronomy has amongst its arsenal. Here, we are talking about peppers, chillies, cumin, mint, aniseed and coriander, cinnamon or even mace, the nutmeg husk that is ground to a powder when cooking curry.

For example, Sri Lanka's flagship dessert, wattalapan, a creamy pudding made from cashew nuts and coconut milk, is flavoured with a cocktail of cardamom, cinnamon, vanilla and nutmeg. It is cooked with Kitul sap, which is used to make a delicious molasses. Because here, we love to mix things up. Remember that, just like colombo, which is quite similar, massala, which we call curry, is a unique blend of spices that combines cumin and coriander seeds, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, cardamom, pepper, turmeric, fenugreek and garlic. All of this is ground into a powder.

And so, while colombo is as much the name of the spice mixture as the dish cooked with it, parippu or dhal curry, for example, is a typical Sri Lankan dish made with lentils (or any other legume) cooked with curry and coconut milk. 

The name curry or kari is reserved for the dish, and massala for the spice mixture.

The diversity of markets

In this earthly paradise, the markets serve up a festival of colour and abundance. While fish is easily found on the stalls of fishmongers, on the seashore or in the harbours, fruit, vegetables and spices are readily available throughout the markets. The Pettah Bazaar, the largest market in Colombo, is renowned for the freshness and abundance of its goods. There is much hustle and bustle across the markets from early morning onwards due to the number of traders. All of this accompanied by a concert of joyful shouting in Sinhala. This market is so famous that guided tours are organised.

But the surrounding streets are no less rich. Gabo's Lane, for example, is popular for its variety of Ayurvedic herbs and essential oils, roots and dried leaves.

The Narahenpita market, also in Colombo, is also a must-visit. Although there are tomatoes, pumpkins, carrots and aubergines, they are somehwat different species from those we all know. Quite a change of scenery. And then sweet potatoes and manioc. Tangalle's covered market is surprisingly fragrant with the mixed scent of its fruits and spices, and the thick perfume of its incense. It is just as busy as the ones in Colombo. Of course, every town and village in Sri Lanka has equally busy markets.

Gastronomy

It is clear that these spice mixtures have a special place in Sri Lankan gastronomy. So here, rice & curry is the favourite dish. It can be prepared in a wide variety of ways alongside fish, crab meat, chicken and other meats, in the full range of massala mixes. But also, if you prefer, around fruits such as pumpkin, pineapple, jack fruit, beetroot or mango.

Another constant is the very common, not to say ubiquitous, use of coconut, in pulp, juice or milk, which can be found in both savoury and sweet preparations. This is the basis of the Sri Lankan diet. One of the most popular is pol sambol, a spicy coconut raptor preparation with red onions and lime juice. Common at breakfast, with roti godambas, the equivalent of Indian naan.

Sri Lankan cuisine is also open to the sweet and sour flavours so dear to the Creoles of the Indian Ocean, but this is more likely to be found in the subtlety of the many dishes prepared using coconut milk, so commonly used in this cuisine, or in a sweet and sour aubergine curry, for example, or in a brinjal, a caramelised aubergine curry But there are also many recipes based on pineapple curry or jack fruit, the fruit of the jack fruit tree, to accompany dishes. 

Here, street food is to be savoured with envy.  Kottu roti can be found on every street corner. This is a dish based on roasted godamba sautéed on a hot plate, chopped up quickly to be seasoned with curry, onion and chilli, before being mixed with scrambled eggs or chicken.

Exotic fruit paradise

No pears or cherries here, but papayas, mangosteens and passion fruit. What a promise! The inner-city trees are even rich in fruit. Simply look upwards to admire them in full bloom. They are ripe thanks to the open air. And once you bite into them, you will marvel at their delicious taste. Pineapples, coconuts and various bananas, ranging from the particularly sweet banana-fruit to the pink banana, which turns red as it ripens and becomes even sweeter, are of course in the spotlight. A guarantee of flavour. But the best is yet to come.

While mangoes and watermelons offer the promise of being juicy and tasty, other fruits stand out for their particular flavour. Let's look at them in detail: the rambutan is a delicious little pinkish spiky fruit whose white, translucent pulp is reminiscent of its cousin, the lychee (it originates from Malaysia where rambut means hair). The soursop, a member of the anona family, is a generous fruit with a tangy flavour. The honey-orange - also known as Beli fruit, Baël or Bengal quince - whose name alone evokes a gourmet delight, is used for fresh juices. The mangosteen, or mongoose, has a light-coloured, richly flavoured flesh which is used to make sorbets and jams. The pitaya, or dragon fruit, is full of white flesh with a taste reminiscent of kiwi, while the sapodilla's taste varies between caramel and vanilla. Both can be enjoyed with a spoon! The bitter red lovi-lovi berry is used in chutneys or jellies. The pink apple probably owes its name to its rose scent. 

Finally, but the list is not exhaustive, the jack fruitis surely the most enjoyed on the island. Its slight sweet taste, somewhere between pineapple and mango, combined with its generous size make it extremely popular. Also protein rich, it can be used as a perfect meat substitute. All these fruits are extremely rich in vitamin C.