Here are some of the best food in Sri Lanka that you shouldn’t miss on your voyage to Sri Lanka.

1. Isso Vade

Here in Sri Lanka, it’s always a good time for a crispy and chewy isso vade from a wayside-lender. Isso vade could be translated to mean “Prawn Vadai” and is a simple snack made with fried lentils and scrumptious prawns served with a dab of lime juice orchopped onions. These are a must try while you stroll around at the Galle Face Green while you await the heartwarming sunset.

2. Hoppers

Hoppers are famous for its texture; crispy around the edges and a soft core in the center. They are another local staple and a definite must try. Hoppers resemble a somewhat light pancake batter but with an addition of coconut milk and palm wine. Some may also prefer their hoppers with a fried egg tossed in the middle. Whether you’ve got a sweet tooth or prefer your food hot and spicy; worry not, hoppers are perfectly customizable to your preference. Head on over to Nuga Gama at the Cinnamon Grand Colombo to taste this local delicacy.

3. Local Seafood by the Beach

It’s no surprise that Sri Lanka is famous for some of the best sea food dishes in the area owing to its prime location by the Indian Ocean. Colombo is most definitely a seafood lovers’ paradise. Enjoy a variety of delectable seafood dishes while you wind down and relax by the beach. You can find many seaside restaurants that will prepare your seafood to your preference. Choose from Crabs, King Prawns, Butterfish, Snapper, Lobster, Squid and much more.

4. Kottu Roti

Kottu Roti is definitely the most popular and most consumed street food in Sri Lanka and there’s so many reasons why! Kottu Roti is made from Godhamba roti, vegetables, egg, spices and a preferred meat or even no meat at all. It’s the perfect balance of flavours, with a perfectly creamy texture, succulent seasoning. So be prepared to be amazed at the perfect balance of rich flavours in your Kottu Roti.

5. Local Rice and Curry

This one’s a local staple; to say that Sri Lankans enjoy their rice and curry is an understatement. Locals absolutely love their rice and curry; especially the perfect lentil curry called “Dhal Curry” and the local Coconut Sambol famously referred to as “Pol Sambol” by the locals. While you’re in Sri Lanka, you must treat yourself to local rice and curry in order to experience Sri Lanka to the fullest!

You can taste and enjoy these dishes and more in style at many of the Cinnamon Hotels and Resorts properties including Cinnamon Lodge Habarana, Habarana Village by Cinnamon or even the restaurant, Nuga Gama at Cinnamon Grand Colombo; which is a rustic haven in the middle of an urban atmosphere, serving all Sri Lankan delicacies cooked by local chefs and in the perfect local setting. Along with the scrumptious and tantalizing dishes, Sri Lankan hospitality at its purest will be pleased to treat you.

Here are 10 things to know about the Sinhala and Tamil New Year;

1. What is the New Year?

The festival is celebrated when the sun moves from Pisces to Aries, marking the end of the harvesting season. It is celebrated with a series of traditions, food, and fun games that take place during the day and involve the entire community.

2. When is the New Year celebrated?

The new year rituals start in 13th with a ritual called neutral period or Nonagathe. During this time people keep off from all the work and do nothing but engage in religious activities to get the blessing of their religion to prepare for the new year.The dawning of the new year is celebrated on the 14th of April each year!

3. The transition time

The Avurudu traditions begin on the 13th of April with the neutral time (or punya kaalaya) which is the time between the ending of the Old Year and the dawning of the New Year. This time is used to observe and perform religious ceremonies. People are also encouraged to refrain from their day-to-day activities and seek blessings from their priests/monks. What is most special about the new year traditions are that they are performed during an auspicious time. Therefore, the entire country cooks, eats and engages in work at the sometime.

4. How is the dawning of the New Year celebrated?

The dawning of the New Year is traditionally celebrated with the lighting of the hearth and traditionally boiling milk using a brand-new clay pot as a symbol of prosperity. The overflowing of the boiling milk is considered to bring good luck for the entire family. Thereafter,the traditional milk rice and an array of sweetmeats are prepared and enjoyed by family and distributed among neighbours symbolizing unity amongst all with no boundaries.

5. What are the sweetmeats for Avurudu?

The Avurudu table overflows with various sweet meats and foods specially made for the festival. Some of these food items include Konda kavum- a deep fried fluffy cake, Kokis- a deep-fried, crispy sweet made from rice flour and coconut milk, Aasmi- crunchy traditional sweet topped with a traditional caramel syrup, Mung Kavum- A diamond-shaped sweet that comes with a crunchy crust with a sweet paste of sweetened green grams inside and so much more! We at Cinnamon Hotels and Resorts always ensure our guests have a taste of all these sweetmeats and feel the spirit of the new year whilst they’re at our hotels.

6. What are the Avurudu Games?

Avurudu games are also a treat during this time of the year. Some of these Avurudu games include placing the eye on the elephant- (Aliyata asa thabeema), Eating buns the fastest (Banis kema), Pillow-fight – (Kotta Pora), Tug-o-War(Kamba Adeema), Breaking the pots – (Kanamutti bindeema), Climbing the greasy pole – (Lissana gaha nageema), and so on!

7. Anointing with Oil

Anointing heads with oil is another ritual that is not missed by Sri Lankans. Families make a concoction with herbs and various oils. The oldest family member is the one who anoints the herbal oil on the heads of the others. This anointment is done at village temples as well, wherevillagers gather to have themselves anointed by the head priest of the temple.

8. Visiting Neighbours

After the basic rituals are over, people begin to visit immediate relatives living close by and they also exchange plates full of sweet meats with friends and neighbors. It is customary to take betel leaves to worship the elders. Most people visit their hometowns and close relations even if they live far away from them!

9. Auspicious time to leave for work

Since most people make their way to their hometowns to celebrate the New Year with their family, leaving to work is also governed by an auspicious time. Usually most people leave for work at a selected auspicious time which is said to guarantee success and prosperity at their places of work.

10. Avurudu at Cinnamon

The spirit of avuruduis usually rampant at all Cinnamon Hotels and Resorts properties! The Cinnamon Grand Colombo and Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo, especially, are beaming with festivities during the New Year. Avurudu games, food and fun were amply available for all who wanted to enjoy!

What are hoppers?

Credit: Shehara

The main ingredients in Sri Lankan hoppers are rice flour, coconut milk, eggs and a little secret ingredient that makes the edges extra crispy. Both rice flour and yeast are mixed with a blended paste of soaked rice and coconut milk. This needs to sit for a few hours until it doubles in size. The secret ingredient, a Marie biscuit, is added to the dry flour before mixing and it helps give the hopper that crunchy, crispy brown edge. A hopper isn’t authentic if it is not made in a traditional hopper pan, so make sure you grab one of those too!

Types of hoppers?

Hoppers are of three kinds, whilst two look like good old pancakes the other looks like a nest of rice noodles and is famous for its texture. The third type of hopper is crispy around the edges and has a soft core in the center. An egg hopper is the same as a hopper, but with a steamed egg on top. These always taste better with a generous sprinkle of salt and ground black pepper on top.
The same batter that is used for hoppers is sometimes used to make flat crepe-like pancakes. They are then rolled with grated coconut mixed with coconut treacle and lime.

How to eat hoppers?

Hoppers are usually a breakfast meal, but it can be enjoyed at any time of day! Sweet or spicy, the choice is yours! If you prefer to have hoppers, there will most probably be a mix of both kinds, regular hoppers and egg hoppers that will arrive at your table. The bowl-shaped hopper is perfect for topping with side dishes. These hoppers are almost always enjoyed with seeni sambol, a sweet and spicy caramelized onion concoction that captures the hearts of many. Another classic addition to hoppers is pol sambol, which is grated coconut mixed with chilli and lime. For more elaborate hopper meals, there will be some kind of curry. It might be fish or chicken curry in a roasted curry base and juicy coconut milk sauce.

You just may have to leave out the cutlery and dig in with your fingers, in a truly Sri Lankan fashion!

Where to eat hoppers?

Nuga Gama is a themed Sri Lankan Restaurant, set around a 200-year-old banyan tree situated right at the heart of Colombo at Cinnamon Grand Colombo. Head on over to Nuga Gama at the Cinnamon Grand Colombo to taste this local staple which is perfectly customizable to your preference, either sweet or spicy! The perfect village experience and the yummiest hoppers awaits you!

For those that want to explore some of the more delicious accents to their meal,s you must try the array of spicy dishes that accompanies each main entry. Following are some of the main condiments worth trying out:

Chutneys

A mainstay of any Sri Lankan dish, chutneys are usually a nice and sweet accent to any dish that you may add to a dish. Typically made from a variety of tropical fruits including: papayas, mangoes, pineapple or dates. Their is an endless variety of chutneys made around the island. If you like things more spicy, then there are also chile versions that are available for tasting.

Coconut Sambol

Dried coconut flakes with hot pepper, spice and fiery hot chile are added to this dry condiment. For those who want to have a nice hot accent to their dishes, this is the perfect compliment to any entry from breakfast dishes to an evening meal

Mint Sambol

A spicy but not hot (chile) accent, the mint sambol is a really nice complement for an added flavor to any meal. It’s a cooler alternative condiment made primarily with mint and a variety of spices, lime and coconut ingredients. Mint sambol adds a refreshing touch to any beef or chicken dish, but also works well with fish.

Shrimp Sambol

A favorite sambol with a seafood punch, it’s perfect with seafood dishes or any other entree that you may want to infuse extra shrimp flavoring. Made primarily with small dried shrimp, this is a very pungent and tasty condiment to add to your plate.

When you stay at any Cinnamon Hotel, make sure to look out for these condiments typically next to the entree stations at a buffet or if you are ordering a la carte, there may be a station available. Also, you can request a sample tray of condiments to go with your meal and they will be more than happy to oblige and bring these to your table. Enjoy them and watch for some of the very spicy sambols with chiles, they really do pack a punch.

Noel Morata – Travel Photo Discovery

Noel Morata was hosted by Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts and SriLankan Airlines in partnership with the Professional Travel Bloggers Association for TBCasia – Asia’s First Ever Travel Bloggers Conference 2014 in Sri Lanka.