Kulture Korner

You can’t swing a dead cat without hitting a bakery of some kind here in Sri Lanka. They are everywhere! At first, I was thinking, “Wow, these folks really groove on cakes, bread and pastries, look at all the shops.” Turns out, the average Sri Lankan kitchen doesn’t have an oven. It’s sorta hot here (see below) and the thought of heating up your kitchen to make some brownies or something is really objectionable. Almost everyone buys their baked goods from one of the many local bakeries. Perera & Sons (with outlets all over the city) is the official bakery sponsor of Volunteer International. They make the best chicken roti, even though the spiciness varies from day to day. Before we moved our office, they were right across the street from us. It was a traditional hazing moment for us to send a new volunteer over there with our confusing morning bakery order while clutching a fistful of rupees. Now that we are on Cotta Road, we’re near The Fab. They make the best cakes in Colombo and we often get lampries for breakfast. It took some doing, but I finally found out what’s in a lamprie: ghee rice; curries; sambols and forcemeat (veal) balls all wrapped up and steamed in a huge banana leaf. Originally called “lomprijist”, the name “lampries” is derived from the Dutch and is evidence of their lingering influence here in Sri Lanka. It’s delicious and makes for a great breakfast.