From ancient times other cultures have been in contact with Sri Lanka to obtain the spices that grow there. The best cinnamon, cloves and other spices are indigenous to Sri Lanka. People arrived to trade in spices and also left some of their culinary practices as well. Sri Lankan cooking has evolved by combining culinary practices of many of these cultures. The most noticeable impacts have been the Portuguese, Dutch, Moor and Malay influences.

In this small booklet the most popular dishes have been described. Some notes on substituting ingredients, cooking methods and addresses of where to purchase ingredients are given below. Sri Lanka being a tropical country has to beware of food spoiling fast. Hence most foods are cooked in liquids which is a fast method of ensuring that all ingredients are cooked thoroughly. No dish described here takes more than 30 minutes to prepare, with average times ranging from 15-20 minutes.

Curry Powder

Sri Lankans use two different curry powders. One is referred to as plain curry powder and very similar to the Indian yellow curry powder obtainable from a Oriental or Indian grocery store. The other curry powder is referred to as black (black-dark brown in color) or roasted curry powder and is used for meats. The yellow curry powder can be used as the base to make the black curry powder. This method is given in the beginning of the booklet.

Coconut Milk

Coconut milk ( the milk obtained from squeezing the meat of the coconut) is a central to Sri Lankan cooking. However as milk is made every day, this process of obtaining the milk is quite tedious. Nestle have been manufacturing powdered coconut milk in Sri Lanka for over a decade and as such has made it much easier to cook Sri Lankan style.

Dairy milk can be substituted at times. However occasions where lime or lemon juice is used there is a good possibility of dairy milk curdling.