SRI LANKA PRACTICALITIES

Climate

Sri Lanka enjoys a tropical climate. There are no seasonal variations. The bi-annual monsoon rains provide the only seasons. Colombo and the South West experience rain from April to May and September to October. The East coast gets its share of rainfall from November to January. Being closer to the equator, the temperature is high throughout the year. The average temperature in Colombo is 27 degrees centigrade (80 degrees Fahrenheit). This is accompanied by high levels of humidity. However, in the different parts of the island, the temperature and the climate vary according to the terrain. The higher you go, the cooler it gets. In the mountainous regions of Nuwara Eliya, the temperature averages 16 degrees centigrade (61 degrees Fahrenheit).

History

The chronicled history of Sri Lanka dates back to over 2,500 years. It had established trade and cultural links with many ancient civilizations. Throughout history, it has been known by different names. To the Greeks it was Taprobane, to the Arabs it was Serendib, to the Portuguese it was Ceilao, to the Dutch it was Zeylan, and to the British it was Ceylon. Sri Lanka was the ancient name meaning "The Resplendent Isle".

People

The population number approximately 19 million. This multi-ethnic population comprises:

• Sinhalese - 72%
• Tamils - 19%
• Muslims - 8%
• Burghers (descendants of Dutch and Portuguese) - 1%

Religion

The four major religions are:

• Buddhism - followed by 69% of the population
• Hinduism - followed by 13% of the population
• Islam - followed by 8% of the population
• Christianity - followed by 7% of the population

Languages

The most commonly-spoken languages in Sri Lanka are Sinhala, Tamil and English.

Currency

The Sri Lankan Rupee (Rs.) is divided into 100 cents. The coins and notes fall into the following denominations:

Coins: 1 cent, 2 cents, 5 cents, 10 cents, 25 cents, 50 cents, 1 Rupee, 2 Rupees, 5 Rupees, 10 Rupees

Notes: 10 Rupees, 20 Rupees, 50 Rupees, 100 Rupees, 500 Rupees, 1,000 Rupees, 2,000 Rupees

* Please note that 1 cent, 2 cents, 5 cents and 10 cents coins are barely in circulation today.

Food

The staple diet in Sri Lanka is rice. It is eaten with curry and a variety of chutneys, pickles and sambals. The rice may be boiled and served with curries or it may be cooked with spices and in coconut milk, as 'yellow' rice. It is also baked in meat stock as a Biriyani. Meats, seafood and vegetables are cooked as a curry with a base of coconut milk.

Other special food includes:

Kiribath - Kiribath means 'milk rice' and is a traditional dish for festive or special occasions.
Hoppers - Hoppers (egg and plain) are made of a batter containing coconut milk and palm toddy left overnight to ferment. It is then fried in a bowl shaped metal pan which forms its shape. Simply breaking an egg into the centre of the plain hopper makes an egg hopper.
String Hoppers - String Hoppers are vermicelli made of rice flour and steamed over a low fire.
Pittu - Pittu is prepared with rice flour and shredded coconut and steamed inside a bamboo. It is eaten with a hot sambal and pol hodi (coconut gravy).
Lamprais - Lamprais is a dish of Dutch origin. The rice is boiled in meat stock and then the vegetables and meat are added then slowly baked wrapped in a banana leaf.

Desserts
The wide array of Sri Lankan sweets betrays the sweet tooth of the Sri Lankan.

Buffalo Curd and Treacle - Buffalo Curd and Treacle (kithul pani which is made from the kithul palm).
Juggery - Juggery is a hard, brown coloured sweet made out of kitul treacle.
Kalu Dodol - Kalu Dodol is made out of coconut milk, juggery and cashew nuts.
Kavum, Kokis and Athiraha - Kavum, Kokis and Athiraha are traditional Sinhala sweetmeats.
Watalappan - Watalappan is made out of boiled coconut milk and juggery laced with cashew nuts and raisins.
Rasakevili - Rasakevili are the sweetmeats eaten during the festive seasons.
Thalaguli - Thalaguli are sesame balls.
Halape - Halape are a mixture of coconut and juggery.
Aluwa - Aluwa is a fudge-like sweet.
Puhul Dosi - Puhul Dosi (pumpkin preserves).
Panivalalu - Panivalalu are 'honey bangles'.
Bibikkan - Bibikkan is a traditional Sinhala cake made from juggery, coconut, cashews and dried fruit.

Fruits
Tropical fruits are plentiful in Sri Lanka. There are various varieties of mangoes, bananas, papaya, pineapples, avocados, guava, melons, passion fruit and pomegranate.

Some of the special fruits are:

Rambutan - Rambutan is related to the lychee. It is coated with a soft red hairy skin, which is easily peeled to rach the sweet flesh of the fruit.
Mangosteen - Mangosteen is a dark purple fruit with luscious translucent segments within. Its flavour may be described as a combination between strawberries and grapes. They are seasonal and are available from July to September.
Durian - Although the skin of the fruit has a strong, sometimes unpleasant aroma, the fruit is rich, soft, and yellow custard-like on the inside. This is believed to be an aphrodisiac.
Wood Apple - Wood Apple is a hard wooden-shelled fruit. This can be made into a tasty drink or a rich pudding with coconut milk.
Jackfruit - Jackfruit is very large fruit and may be eaten fresh as a fruit or cooked as a curry. Within the coarse, green skin, there are hundreds of succulent orange/yellow segments.
Babyjack - Babyjack is a watermelon-sized fruit which is eaten cooked as a curry.

Fish and Seafood
Being an island surrounded by the ocean, there is naturally a huge selection of seafood.

These include:

Prawns, Tuna, Crabs, Mullet, Shrimp, Shark, Lobster, Skipjack, Large Tiger Prawns, Amberjack, Squid, Seer.

There is also a large variety of freshwater fish.