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The shared food heritage of Sinhalese and Indian festive menus
Summary
Mid-April heralds New Year celebrations for Indians as well as Sri Lankans; and their festive dishes exemplify that ‘food is a shared language’The astrological shift as the sun moves from the House of Pisces to the House of Aries marks a turning point—in time, seasons and food. In the Indian sub-continent, this celestial swing is celebrated as a period of fresh beginnings with regional new year festivals such as Vishu in Kerala, Puthandu in Tamil Nadu, Pana Sankranti in Odisha and Aluth Avurudu in Sri Lanka.
These new year celebrations may occur across different states and countries, but the festive food reveals a deep-rooted culinary kinship—especially when it comes to South Indian and Sinhalese dishes. Sri Lankan cuisine is renowned for its depth and diversity. A 2020 article , titled Indigenous and traditional foods of Sri Lanka, in the research-based editorial publication Journal of Ethnic Foods, explains, “Elements of Afro-Arabic, Central Asian, European, South-east Asian and Oriental food cultures that followed with the trade activities, royal marriages, and invasions have been customised to align with the habits, the culture, and the palate of island inhabitants while keeping the indigenous and traditional food culture in a nutshell."
The influences that shaped Sri Lankan cuisine may be many, but the strongest is that of neighbouring South India. The shared pantry, which includes coconut milk, rice flour, jaggery, and bananas, is a legacy of centuries of cultural and trade exchange across the Palk Strait, an ancient passage through water connecting Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka.
South India and Sri Lanka share agrarian roots, and their new year rituals reflect the gratitude for harvest and the hope for abundance. “We have common rites, including lighting the hearth and preparing the first meal at an astrologically chosen time, bathing with herbal oils as a purifying ritual, and gathering with family and friends to share the first meal of the new year," says Srija Naganathan, a Sri Lankan Tamilian who works at a resort in Colombo.
Foods prepared during this time are symbolic — sweet dishes herald a sweet year while rice, in its many forms, represents prosperity.
Also read: Recreate new year recipes from Odisha, Bihar and Tripura
Anuruddha Rathnayake, Chef De Cuisine, NH Collection Colombo, agrees that Sri Lankan food speaks a shared dialect with Indian kitchen. “Turmeric, mustard seeds, curry leaves, cumin, coriander and most importantly, chilies are everyday essentials. Our curry powders, though uniquely Sri Lankan in their depth and often roasted profile, still carry the soul of Indian masalas. The layering of heat, aroma and warmth connects us across the seas," he says.
Chef Deepak Barua, Executive Chef at Anantara Kalutara Resort, has realised the extent of India’s influence on Sri Lankan cuisine, due to historical and geographical connections, in the three years that he’s been in the island country. “Rice plays a pivotal role in Sri Lankan cuisine and it’s a staple consumed during all meals – much like in South India," he says. At a new year celebration at Anantara Peace Haven Tangalle, I do a round of the festive table and spot many foods that seem similar to a few Indian dishes. Sri Lanka’s konda kavum, a pillowy deep-fried sweet made from rice flour and sugar-palm treacle, finds a parallel in Kerala’s unniyappam, sweet spiced fritters made with rice flour and banana; the aluwa, square treats made from roasted rice flour, treacle, cashewnuts, and cardamom is much like coconut barfi; kiribath (literally milk rice) is similar to paal pongal or coconut milk payasam; and kokis seems just another name for that crunchy Kerala confection, acchapam or rose cookies. The murukkus are just the same on both sides of the border.
I serve myself a little bit of all the dishes, the sweets and savouries, the curries and sambol, the dal and rice, and see the commonalty. The structure of a Sri Lankan meal – rice, curry and the many accompaniments – channels the essence of an Indian thali. The connection runs deep even when it comes to sweets. Delicacies mung kavum (sweet morsels made with green gram flour, rice flour, and jaggery or treacle, then dunked in turmeric-infused batter and fried till golden brown), and athirasa (a round, flaky disc, made from a dough of powdered rice and grated jaggery and deep-fried in ghee until golden and crunchy) share flavours and textures with Indian festive sweets. The techniques and ingredients that go into making these crispy, golden treats may vary, but the spirit is the same: celebration.
“Sri Lankan cuisine has borrowed, blended, and built upon Indian foundations with its own flair, creating something that is at once familiar and yet completely unique," Rathnayake says.
And then there’s the presentation. In both cultures, meals are often served on banana leaves, connecting us back to the earth and to traditions that have nourished generations. On new year day, these foods and meals are symbolic of sharing and homecoming.
Round sweet morsels like konda kavum and chickpea flour laddu shaped with care, coated in ghee and sweetened with sugar or jaggery, represent wholeness and the cycle of the seasons. They’re a sweet way to honour new beginnings. Much like the first cut of milk rice or a sweet laddu, every bite is meant to usher in prosperity and happiness.
“Sri Lankan and Indian traditions don’t just mirror each other; they reinforce the truth that food is a shared language, carrying culture, comfort, and hope from one kitchen to another," Rathnayake says.
Colombo hotspots to enjoy Sinhalese fare
• Upali's by Nawaloka
• Palmyrah Restaurant
• Culture Colombo
• Galaxy Lounge
• Green Cabin
Teja Lele writes on travel and lifestyle.
