"Lamprais comes from Sri Lanka's Dutch Burgher community: stock-cooked rice, mixed-meat curry, cutlet, sambol and egg all wrapped in a banana leaf and baked together."
About Lamprais
Lamprais is one of Sri Lanka's most beloved dishes, representing the rich culinary tradition of the region.
Lamprais — a staple of Sri Lanka's cuisine
A Parcel of Dutch-Burgher Heritage Lamprais is a distinctive dish from Sri Lanka's Dutch Burgher community, descendants of European settlers, and the name comes from the Dutch for a packet of food. Rice cooked in stock is bundled with a special mixed meat curry, a fried ash-plantain or aubergine, a prawn or fish cutlet, a fierce sambol and a boiled egg, all wrapped in a banana leaf and baked.
Baked in the Leaf The baking in the banana leaf is essential: the components steam together and absorb the leaf's aroma, melding into something greater than its parts. Carefully made and a little labour-intensive, lamprais is a treasured speciality rather than an everyday meal, and a true taste of Sri Lanka's layered colonial history.
What to Expect
Unwrapping a lamprais parcel releases a waft of banana leaf and spice, revealing rice, a complex mixed-meat curry, a cutlet, sambol and egg that have baked into one another. It is a special-occasion treat and a delicious relic of the island's colonial mix.
Why Try It
It is a uniquely Sri Lankan creation of the Dutch Burgher community, a banana-leaf parcel that captures the island's layered colonial heritage in one baked bundle.
Insider Tips
It must be baked in the banana leaf; that aroma and melding are the whole point.
It is a labour-intensive speciality, so seek out places known for making it well.
The mixed-meat curry is traditional; some shops offer vegetarian versions.
