COOKING THE WAY TO MY HERITAGE

Abstract

During this past year of lockdowns and self-isolation, the kitchen has become a focal space in
many of our homes. While some have been baking up a storm or beginning their sourdough
journeys (both of which I am guilty of), I have also been using food to reacquaint myself with
my roots. This journey began when my partner gifted me Prakash K SivanathanSivanathan’s Niranjala
M EllawalaEllawala’s Sri Lanka: The Cookbook (2017).
The husband and wife co-authors are Sri Lankan Tamil and Sinhala, respectively. With
over 100 recipes consisting of mains and desserts, the cookbook is a visual delight packed with
stunning images of not only food but Sri LankaLanka’s people and landscape. The cookbook includes
a detailed glossary of spices and herbs. I was pleasantly surprised by the wealth of vegan and
vegetarian recipes which are reflective of a diet rich in grains, legumes, coconut and root
vegetables. The authors are chefs by trade, but their recipes are reflective of hearty home
cooking. Being a Malaysian Sri Lankan Tamil myself, I can attest to the authenticity of the
Tamil recipes in Sri Lanka: The Cookbook some are staples found in my mummum’s and aunties ’
kitchens back home.