A basket of exotic fruit
Another gift of nature: the incredible variety of fruits and vegetables in Sri Lanka. Pineapple is sweet as honey in all seasons, bananas, of different sizes, ranging from light green to gold dark through all shades of yellow and have a tastier than the other, coconuts, especially those the variety called “real” (King Coconut), are delicious and refreshing, the mango, which grow in the north of the country, are among the best in the world, the papaya, flavor similar to that of the peach, has digestive properties that make it the ideal complement to any meal, the breadfruit, a big green ball bristling with thorns, you eat boiled as a vegetable, the huge fruit of jacquier, much like the tree of bread, has a sweet pulp of orange. You can also taste guava, rambutan, pomegranate, passion fruit and especially the delicious mangosteens. Finally, full of exoticism to these places, you can find even pears, cherries and fragile, growing mountains of Nuwara Eliya.
The Rice Curry
The local cuisine seems possible to sum up in one dish: the “curry rice”. But behind this name hides an amazing variety of recipes, playing on the combination of different spices, allow you to prepare dishes of vegetables or meat, soups and sauces to accompany rice (from mild and distinctive nutty flavor), that is always served in generous portions. A curry rice, in fact, is a set of small portions of different dishes (meat, fish, vegetables, shellfish and shells) that are the delight of the eyes even before they eat.
First, the rice: there are fifteen quality depending on the shape, color and flavor of the beans. It is usually boiled, but on important occasions can also be cooked in coconut milk and flavored with saffron.
The dishes that accompany it are many: pureed red lentils, okra, sweet potatoes, papadams (pancakes). The presence of meat, fish or chicken will give the name to the dish (fish curry, chicken curry etc.).
The curry is a blend of spices and seasonings sauteed in coconut oil and then left to macerate in coconut milk. The ingredients used are all products of the place: coriander, cumin, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, turmeric, pepper, mustard, fennel, garlic, onion, ginger and, of course, chili. The curries vary depending on the density of the milk and the amount of chilli, they depend on both the color and the taste of the compound. Every Sri Lankan-prepare their own curry to suit your preferences. If you do not like the chili ask a white curry (curry white). The Sri Lankan adore spicy flavors, but love even more the values of hospitality: to satisfy you know dose, or even forget this ingredient. It is not necessary to go to the restaurant to taste the local specialties.
Snacks
Pastries and stalls sell fabulous sweet or salty snacks, such as rotties (savory turnovers stuffed with spiced vegetables and boiled egg), patties (vegetable fritters), cutlets (fritters made from lentils and spices), vadai (donuts lentil flour).
Sambol Condiment chili that accompanies the main dishes. The most common is the pol sambol, a mixture of red pepper and grated coconut to which are added salt, dried fish and lemon slices.
Biriyani Muslim traditional dish made with fried rice with vegetables, chicken or mutton and an egg hard. Lamprai Rice accompanied by curry, sambol and balls of meat that is cooked in a banana leaf.
Curd Cheese buffalo, soft as mozzarella and covered with palm syrup, is sold in the south of the country.
