We drink plain tea standing at the neighbourhood kadé, end the day at our favourite bar, or pull over on the side of the road for a glass of kola kenda or a freshly cut thambili. Some drinks are part of a celebration, others are simply part of the day. Either way, they’re so much a part of everyday life that we rarely stop to think about them.
Inside these pages, palmyrah toddy becomes a window into the history and stigma that continues to shape toddy tapping in Jaffna. We also explore Sri Lanka’s other cup: coffee, long before tea came to define the island. Elsewhere, we ask what makes a cocktail distinctly Sri Lankan and step into the colourful world of Aluthkade, where the drinks are every bit as colourful as the people selling them.
Explore the rise of chef’s tables in Sri Lanka through Contemporary Ceylon, Open Door Policy and Belle Colombo, and the chefs shaping the experience.
From foil-wrapped triangles to artisan Gouda and burrata, discover how Sri Lanka’s cheesemakers are transforming a borrowed food into something uniquely their own.
Long before it appeared on menus, bilimbi lived in gardens, games and childhood rituals.
In Galle Fort, the Moor recipes are a delicious lesson into the long, layered ancestry of its Muslim community
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