A FOOD TRADITION

Sri Lankan Burgher Cuisine

Sri Lankan Burgher cuisine belongs to the island's Portuguese- and Dutch-descended Burgher communities, especially in western and southern urban settings, and reflects sustained exchange with Sinhalese and Tamil cooks. It is known for combining European-style baking, braising and pastry with local spices, coconut, curry leaves, pandan, vinegar and tropical ingredients. Beef, pork, chicken and preserved fish appear in many household and celebratory preparations. Representative dishes include lamprais, rice and accompaniments baked in a banana leaf; breudher, a rich festive bread; and love cake, a spiced semolina-and-cashew sweet. Regional and family variations are substantial, and the tradition should not be treated as a single colonial recipe set.

Catalogue preview Cuisine connections may be unreviewed. Regional comparisons include their food references and do not establish the ingredients of a particular meal.