Are you dreaming of treating yourself to a special holiday? Do you long to lounge and take it easy? Do you wish for delectable meals that have been curated to match your cravings? Are you convinced that all of this is only a pipe dream? Well, we’re here to tell you that it’s not. Visit Sri Lanka and you are bound to have the luxury travel experience of a lifetime.
This tiny Indian Ocean island has quite a number of luxury resorts, most of them renowned and acclaimed. Scenic surroundings, modern facilities and superlative service all account for why these places are so highly rated globally.
A luxury travel experience in Sri Lanka is much more than beautiful architecture, high-end amenities and physical comfort. A luxury holiday in Sri Lanka includes being able to enjoy some of the finest food you will ever taste. Sri Lankan cuisine is well known the world over for its flavour as well as its range
Unbelievably scrumptious variety
When you think of how small the island is, It is truly awe-inspiring to consider the diversity in Sri Lankan food. The choices available for a Sri Lankan breakfast alone can make up a fully-fledged buffet. There are string hoppers, which are made from either wheat flour or rice flour and resemble little noodle-like cakes. There are hoppers that are crisp on the outside and soft in the centre. Hoppers themselves are varied: you can have egg hoppers, milk hoppers, jaggery hoppers and even chocolate hoppers. There’s pol roti, which is made with coconut and flour. The accompaniments for all of these include pol (coconut) sambol, lunu miris (basically a mix of chilli and onion, so it’s very spicy!), seeni sambol (again onion based but far milder), dahl curry, and fish or meat curry.
Kiri bath is another delicious breakfast dish. Translated as milk rice, it is pretty much what its name suggests: rice boiled in coconut milk. It is a festive meal often served on special occasions along with lunu miris and a curry.
The fascinating thing is that, barring kiri bath, all the other breakfast items are also eaten at dinner time. To be honest, there’s nothing stopping anyone from having kiri bath at night – it’s just not common to find it on a dinner menu, possibly because it tends to be quite heavy.
Other dinner favourites include kottu roti – which is a combination of chopped up roti, vegetables and a meat item. Pouring some gravy over this all-in-one meal can really bring out the flavours. The cylindrical pittu, which is generally made with wheat flour and coconut, is another popular evening dish that is eaten with a curry and sambol of choice.
Lunch in Sri Lanka is usually rice and curry. Although just three words, a rice and curry meal can be quite a spread. To begin with, there is no single kind of rice and no single preparation of it. Often, there are 2-3 vegetable curries and at least one protein. Chutneys, sambols, pickles and papadams are all add-ons that are popular during celebrations.
Sri Lanka’s main meals are always hearty. As you indulge, remember to keep some room for dessert. A much commented on after that visitors love is the fruit platter. Don’t be fooled by the title, this is not a run-of-the-mill kind of fruit platter. There is quite a mix of fruits – papaya, pineapple, banana, watermelon, mango and star fruit are some of the regular features. The typical Sri Lankan fruit platter is a glorious blend of sweet, sour and juicy.
Another renowned dessert is curd and treacle. The thick, creamy curd is mostly made with buffalo milk. The treacle that is poured on top is a honey-like syrup made from the sap of the kithul palm.
You must also try the traditional sweetmeats (vegetarians and vegans, don’t be alarmed – this is a misnomer and there is no trace of meat at all!). The most popular local sweetmeats are kavum, kokis, pani walalu, aluwa, athirasa and halapa. Rather than giving you descriptions of each, we will leave you the pleasure of savoring the different flavours for yourself.
The next time you dream about a luxury getaway, where you can relax and take it easy, as well as taste some amazing cuisine, don’t waste time scouring the internet. Just book a stay at Mount Havana. At our luxury villa, not only will you enjoy high-end facilities, you will also be spoiled silly by our staff.
At Mount Havana, we guarantee a fantastic gourmet adventure, of which our curated menus are just the starting point. You are able to walk around our organic vegetable garden and see for yourself where the ingredients of your meals come from. If you would like to, you can do some gardening yourself and pick out the vegetables for your next meal! If you want to learn more about Sri Lankan food you can try our ‘cooking with locals’ activity. You have the option to either watch our chefs in action as they give you a commentary on what they are preparing or even try your hand at cooking alongside our chefs who will guide you through each step.
Good food and a sumptuous setting – it’s hard to say no, isn’t it? So don’t! Just come stay with us at Mount Havana.
