Rice: Staple Food in Sri Lanka

A good spicy meal of Sri Lankan rice and curry is probably at the top of the list of the things I miss about my home country here in Canada. Rice is considered the staple food in Sri Lanka and many Sri Lankans would prefer eating rice and curry for every meal and I am one of them. 

In the past, Sri Lanka’s main source of income was agriculture and paddy cultivation significantly contributed to the economy of the country. In fact, Sri Lanka was called the ‘Granary of East’ and even today a majority of rural households are engaged in paddy cultivation as their main source of income. 

Image Source: Next Travel Sri Lanka

In Sri Lanka, over 2000 varieties of traditional rice are being cultivated and Pachcha Perumal, Kalu Heenati, Sudu Heenati, Rathu Heenati, Rathell and Suwadel are some of the traditional rice varieties in Sri Lanka. It is the traditional belief that these traditional rice varieties possess many nutritional and medicinal qualities. Recent research has scientifically proved some of these traditional beliefs and has clearly shown that Sri Lankan traditional rice, especially red rice can be used as a medicine for inflammation, diabetes, cancer, neurological diseases, cholesterol and oxidative stress.

Sri Lankans usually make two to three side dishes with rice. Dhal or lentil curry is one of the most common dishes that you can find in a typical Sri Lankan rice and curry meal. And also coconut sambal is another dish that many Sri Lankans would eat with rice which I told you about in a previous blog post.

Image Source: Pixabay

However, as a person who used to eat rice and curry all my life, I was extremely excited to find rice in Canada. Actually, I was genuinely surprised by how frequently Canadians eat rice. But, then I realized given the diversity of people living here from different parts of the world, many different cuisines are already embedded in the Canadian culture. But according to the Globe and Mail, the average Canadian eats about 13 kilograms of rice annually and rice consumption in Canada has been growing steadily over the past few years.

However, as I am starting my life here in Canada, being able to find rice here makes me miss my home a little less.