• A culinary celebration of Avurudu, Puthandu and Eid al-Fitr

Nothing defines Sri Lankans more than our love of good food and drink. Next week will see a double celebration take place, with the Sinhala and Tamil New Year and the Muslim Eid al-Fitr celebrations all taking place within days of each other, all over an extra-long weekend. When the stars align, they really do align. And the cornerstone of all these celebrations will be the food. 

Food is not just sustenance in Sri Lanka; it is a language of love, a symbol of hospitality, and a bridge that connects people from diverse backgrounds. Whether it’s the aromatic spices of a traditional curry, the sweetness of homemade sweetmeats, or the comforting warmth of a cup of Ceylon tea, food holds a special place in the hearts of all Sri Lankans. The joy of sharing a meal, the laughter around a table, and the memories created through food are what make our holidays so special. 

The Sinhala and Tamil New Year is probably one of our best-loved food holidays and marks the transition from the old year to the new, symbolising renewal and fresh beginnings, with each community celebrating the occasion with their respective rituals and new year tables. 

The Sinhalese community prepares traditional sweetmeats that hold deep cultural significance. These sweet treats, such as kevum, kokis, athirasa, and aggala, are meticulously crafted to symbolise prosperity, good fortune, and the joy of the new year, and much work and artistry goes into making these intricate dishes. 

The Tamil community also has its unique culinary traditions during the Tamil New Year celebrations, known as Puthandu. One of the key dishes prepared is sweet rice made with new raw red rice, jaggery, cashew nuts, ghee, and raisins. This dish, along with other traditional Tamil recipes, reflects the cultural identity and culinary heritage of the Tamil community in Sri Lanka.

This year, Eid joins the foodscape of Avurudu, with Eid al-Fitr expected to take place on 11 April (the exact date varies according to the sighting of the new moon which signifies the end of Ramadan – the month of fasting). Muslims in Sri Lanka celebrate Eid with a variety of delicious dishes that hold special meaning and significance during this festive time. 

The timing of these celebrations is likely to make the upcoming weekend a dream of foodies, and The Sunday Morning Brunch reached out to a few food creators and home cooks for insight on the food traditions of Avurudu and Eid. 

Kevum, kokis and a whole lot of wholesomeness

The Avurudu table of Sinhala tradition is by far what we most associate with the holiday. But what are the most essential things that make up this table? 

Charindi Meegastenna of Mad Curry Skills by Chari (@chari_madcurryskills on Instagram) shared that more than the sweets, it was the staple part of the meal that formed the heart of the table. “Milk rice (kiribath) is undoubtedly the most important staple during Avurudu. Additionally, konda kevum and the beloved kokis are must-haves.”

However, in the Meegastenna household, what sets celebrations apart is the spicy black fish curry, a nod to her father’s preference for a gravy accompaniment to milk rice. 

Charindi’s journey with Avurudu delicacies took an unexpected turn when she discovered a newfound love for mung kevum. “I used to absolutely detest mung kevum because I felt it had a very unpleasant dry, gritty, and chalky texture. However, I learned to make it a few years ago. The trick is to add some plain flour and use coconut treacle instead of sugar. It’s hard to come by coconut treacle without any added sugar, so plain flour helps keep it soft. Adding the batter also helps keep it crispy. After making it this way, it quickly became one of my favourite treats.” 

Erasha Hettige of Podi Hands Cook (@podihandscook on Instagram) shared that in addition to the food, Avurudu was steeped in time-honoured rituals, family gatherings, and traditional festivities. “My favourite thing about Avurudu is basically how the whole family gets together and makes it a big meal and a celebration.” 

“Avurudu is synonymous with family – a fun family gathering of sorts,” she shared warmly. For Erasha’s family, the Avurudu table boasts a tantalising array of dishes, from the classic kiribath to fusion dishes like jaggery-infused fish or prawns, a family recipe that has been perfected over the years to eat with kiribath. She revealed: “We usually have bibikkan, and this year, because I got a new recipe, there will be aggala.” 

What distinguishes Erasha’s Avurudu table is a new take on a time-honoured Avurudu favourite – bibikkan (coconut cake). The base recipe for bibikkan is one that has great versatility depending on what you want to add to it, and Erasha’s take on bibikkan is one that pays quiet homage to Sri Lanka’s ethnic diversity.  

“The recipe I use for bibikkan is something I did a lot of research on and came up with, incorporating various ingredients from different communities in Sri Lanka. I add various fruits and flavours, including preserved fruits, semolina which is a nod to the Burgher community and their famous love cake, and spices like fennel and cardamom which are used heavily in desserts by the Tamil and Muslim community. The use of jaggery, kithul treacle, and coconut embodies the essence of Sinhalese food and the traditional bibikkan recipe.”

A time for prayer, family and food

Sindhuja Shiron Krishnakumar, the hands behind the Tamil food focused blog ‘A Mom on Duty’ (@amomonduty on Instagram), shared her perspective on how the Tamil community approached Puthandu and the significance of food in their celebrations.

For Sindhuja, the Tamil New Year represents a time of renewal and reverence for age-old customs. She reflected: “Basically, the new year is about new beginnings, rituals, and customs. Now that I have a child, I want to get to know about the rituals, not just for me but for the next generation.”

In Tamil tradition, the new year is heralded by the blooming of flowers, the melodic calls of the koha, and a sense of fresh beginnings. Rituals such as cleaning the house, decorating with a kolam, and herbal baths symbolise purification and renewal.

When it comes to the new year table, Sindhuja shed some light on the differences between Tamil and Sinhala traditions. Tamil households focus on prayers followed by a diverse array of sweet and savoury delicacies. Sindhuja explained: “Our traditional table varies somewhat from the traditional Sinhala table; we have a lamp for the gods – in my home, there is a Ganesha statue – and then, of course, the food.” 

From pongal (a sweet rice-based dish) and the famous savoury vada to a range of sweets like kesari and laddoo, the Tamil New Year table boasts a rich assortment of dishes for the celebrating foodie. Sindhuja also mentioned the importance of breakfast items such as idli, dosa, sambar, and chutneys, which inevitably make their way to the table.

Sindhuja’s own favourite recipe for Puthandu is not a food that is limited to the festival, but is still a staple of any Puthandu table – murukku, a traditional South Indian snack made from urad dal and rice flour, and which, for Sindhuja, symbolises the joy and festivity of Puthandu, holding a special place in her heart. “I love the crunch and it comes in both sweet and savoury. My son also loves it.”

Puthandu holds a double meaning for the Krishnakumar household because it is also her son’s birthday, which adds an extra layer of significance. “He loves how Puthandu falls on his birthday and all the events that happen before and after. He loves the entire day.”

The extra sweetness of Eid this year

This year, Eid al-Fitr takes place a day or so before the Sinhala and Tamil New Year, marking the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting. There are two main Eid celebrations in Islam: Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha (also called Hajj). Eid al-Fitr, also known as the Festival of Breaking the Fast, is celebrated at the end of Ramadan and involves prayers, feasting, and giving to the less fortunate. 

Shafra Faiz of Soul Food by Shaf (@soulfoodbyshaf on Instagram) shared that what defined Eid for her was how it was a time of immense joy and familial togetherness. “Eid is usually a joyous occasion for us Muslims. It’s a special time when families gather, exchange gifts and eidi (Eid money), and visit each other’s houses.”

However, what truly brings her joy during Eid is the cooking itself. “I spend a lot of time in the kitchen cooking a lavish lunch for my loved ones. There is something wonderful about feeding my family and seeing them enjoy themselves.” 

When it comes to the traditional must-haves for an Eid celebration table, Shafra offered a departure from the common conception of biriyani and watalappan, instead speaking about her family’s traditional Eid meal. Shafra is an Indian Moor married to a Sri Lankan Moor, which means there are some differences in the menus they like to serve. For Shafra’s family, an alternative to biriyani has become the staple: soup rice, a menu that is centred around beef bone soup and served with fried chicken, beef or chicken curry, ghee rice, milky potato curry, kaliya (a thick curry of fried potatoes, brinjals, and ash plantains), and Malay pickle. 

On the sweet side of things, of course, no table is complete without watalappan, but it is one of the many sweets that can be served at Eid. Shafra’s own personal sweet treat is her chocolate biscuit pudding. “My kids love it so much that they lick the bowl clean,” she shared. 

A unique recipe for Shafra’s Eid table is a sweet called dammada. “Everyone who eats it thinks it’s love cake because it is made out of semolina, but it is actually not – it’s milk boiled down until it completely reduces and mixed with (a lot of) ghee, cashews, and semolina before being baked in the oven. 

“No one else I know makes this sweet for Eid other than my Indian Moor family, but it is a famous South Indian dish which my Sri Lankan Moor family also loves. It’s a labour of love which doesn’t come to the table often, but when it does it is really treasured.”  

Ruzaina Hadgie of the food blog The Minority Taste (@theminoritytaste on Instagram), whose family is Malay, also shared her perspective on the significance of Eid and its culinary traditions. For Ruzaina, Eid represents a time of spiritual reflection and familial unity after a time of personal sacrifice, good deeds, and giving to the less fortunate. 

Ruzaina too pointed out the must-haves such as biriyani and watalappan at the Eid table, adding that this menu had become so well-known that it was almost a mandatory expectation, both from Mulsims themselves and from non-Muslims. “As cliché as it sounds, that is the common practice across the country. It’s somewhat of a must to the point that neighbours and non-Muslims will look disappointed if you give them something else.” 

However, what makes any table unique is how the biriyani is prepared. Ruzaina explained the difference between biriyani and buriyani, sharing that biriyani meant the traditional Indian layered meat and rice dish, while buriyani was a Sri Lankan take and like the original biriyani itself, also had a multitude of preparations influenced by family histories and the part of Sri Lanka one hailed from. 

What sets Ruzaina’s family’s Eid celebrations apart is the inclusion of unique dishes like kalavan curry, a delicacy featuring beef and beef parts cooked in a flavourful gravy with potatoes and brinjals. She shared: “The dish itself is not something we can claim as our own, but what makes it unique to our family is that the recipe comes from Kandy, and it is something we always serve at Eid.” 

Food and family bind us all

Our love of food and camaraderie is part of what defines us as Sri Lankans. As we prepare to celebrate the Sinhala and Tamil New Year and Eid al-Fitr, our culinary traditions too take centre stage, reflecting the diversity and vibrancy of our nation. As we gather around our tables next weekend, let us cherish the bonds of family, the warmth of shared meals, and the richness of our cultural and culinary diversity.