Sri Lanka has been famous for an exquisite range of spices for centuries. It’s these spices that are largely behind the mouth-watering flavours of Sri Lankan cuisine, be it curry of vegetable, red or white meat, fish or seafood or even some sweet meat.
The spices from Sri Lanka mainly include Ceylon Cinnamon, Ceylon Pepper, Ceylon Cloves, Ceylon Cardamom, Ceylon Nutmeg, as well as mace, Vanilla. Sri Lanka is also home to a range of additives and herbs including a variety of chillies, coriander seeds and leaves, curry leaves, cumin, fennel, fenugreek, ginger, mustard, tamarind and turmeric among others.
Ceylon Spices are more than just flavour agents. Most of them carry important medicinal properties and are widely used in alternative medicine and pharmacology. Some of them like true cinnamon and cloves are ingredients used in perfume and cosmetic industries mainly because of their distinctive fragrance.
In addition, spices and herbs from Sri Lanka when combined and grounded into powder or paste makes a range of seasoning and condiments that add flavour to all Sri Lankan dishes from rice to curries, pickles, salads, sambols, and desserts. Also, Sri Lankan spices are used to distil a whole range of essential oils such as cinnamon leaf oil, clove oil, cinnamon bark oil, nutmeg oil, pepper oil, citronella oil, sesame oil and cardamom oil.
Cashew
Sri Lankan Cashews are known for their distinct and unique milky flavour and are perfect for curry, deserts and adding natural flavouring such as chilli or cinnamon.
Coconut
With a culture that entwines with the coconut tree and a climate that ensures an around the year harvesting, Sri Lanka is the fourth-largest exporters of coconut products to the world. Among the most popular Sri Lankan coconut exports to the global market are desiccated coconut, virgin coconut oil and coconut water, while the country’s bristle fibre products manufactured through indigenous ‘Drum’ extraction method and activated carbon made with coconut shells are also in high demand.
King Coconut
The king coconuts, locally called ‘thambili’ are a bright-orange colored variety of coconuts which are indigenous to Sri Lanka. Sweeter than regular coconuts, there are several sub-varieties of the king coconut-the most common being the "red dwarf" ("kaha thambili", commonly referred to as gon thambili). The other variety is ran thambili", a smaller variety containing about forty nuts in a bunch. The main constituents of the king coconut water are easily digestible sugars, minerals and vitamins. The king coconut is a well-known source of carbohydrates, vitamin E, iron, calcium and phosphorous. It also has a high dietary soluble fiber and appreciable amounts of protein and fat. In relation to all this, the king coconut is a pharmaceutical wonder that has a cure for almost every ailment. The natural high levels of potassium act as the ideal sports drink in replenishing the lost through sweat during exercise, allowing your muscles and verves to function at their peaks. The water of the king coconut is naturally sterile and therefore it is a good substitute for saline. In World War 2 both American and Japanese military doctors injected king coconut water into a patient’s veins instead of sterile glucose solutions.
