Jaffna Food

Jaffna food gets its name from the Jaffna District of Sri Lanka. Preparation of the food recipes does originate from the Jaffna homes. These dishes are very popular all over the world after Sri Lanka Tamils started to move to other countries in the 1980's. In Jaffna you can find Weastern, Chinese and Indian varities of food from the local resturants. Jaffna food preparation for some kinds of food may require more than 10 hours of processing. Main ingredients for the dishes includes Rice, rice flour that is roasted or steamed, flour like wheat, Atta, Kurakan, Uridu, Peas, Dhal are included. Scraped coconut, coconut milk, green chili, red chilies, chili powder, Tamarind, spices and coconut oil, gingerly oil are used in the Jaffna cooking. Also their slow cooking in the clay pots with the firewood adds flavor to the food. Most of the Jaffna food are spicy and with hot chili taste. These food preparations are far different from the South Indian dishes, where Tamil people are living in large numbers. In the meantime you can find out that some of the Jaffna dishes can be kept for days without the support of the refrigerator. Additionally most of the sweet dishes can be kept for two to three days without refrigeration while the fried ones may stay fresh for many days.

In the recent times food prices had gone up in Sri Lanka due to high vegetable price.
For example 1kg beans is priced at Rs 1,000/-, Lemon Rs 1,600/-, Ginger 2,000/- and green chillies at Rs 1,300/- per kilo.

Watch out around December, lot of places used to host Jaffna food festival in Colombo and in Jaffna town. Most of them are used to offer Buffet for their visitors.

In Jaffna for the breakfast you can find following foods all over there. Iddiyapam, Pittu, Dosai, Iddly and Uppuma are available Sambol, Sambar and Coconut milk addes Sothi. In Addition now anearly all the food shops offer Appam in the morning where its centre used to have sweet Coconut milk to add taste to it. It can be made as plain, with Kithul Jaggery or with egg in the center.

While visiting Jaffna, can enjoy FREE Vegetarian Meals in the following Hindu Temples.
Selva Sannathi Temple area.
Naiantivu Nagapoosani Amman Temple's "Amutha Surabi" Hall.
Pungudutivu Kannaki Amman Temple area.
Marathanar Madam Anjanayar Temple.

Sweet dishes too come in the form of Jaffna delights and main dishes. For the breakfast is normally based on the rice flour and coconut milk. Also the Palmyra tree products and seafood are included in the preparation of the Jaffna dishes. If you are a foreigner and never tasted the Jaffna food dishes, be warned not to eat them without proper guidance from a reliable person. Even if you happened to eat a "Ulundu Vadai" with your tea, you can expect to bite in to small particles of green chilies or red chilies in it. Biting them will make your mouth to feel burning sensation, your eyes will start shed tears automatically and your face will become reddish. In this case wash your mouth with water 3 - 5 times and put some Sugar in your mouth or eat some chocolates. Also drinking milk too will give you temporary relief from the hot chilies sensation.

As a foreigner who can't eat Jaffna hot chili dishes, but want to try some of the Jaffna dishes? Then request your guest or Jaffna hotel manger to give you some dishes that are prepared without chilies (red, green or powered ones). You can ask for the following sweet dishes that are made according to Jaffna tradition. They are good for breakfast or dinner. Some are too sweet while some are not much sweetened. You can visit Malayan Cafe or Vishnu Bawan in Jaffna for local vegetarian foods.

Jaffna Food Dishes in Colombo.

Jaffna food dishes are available in the Wellawatte, Bambalapitiya and Kotahena Areas in Colombo. Hot Soups and hot curries are available in the Jaffna Restaurants. You can dine in these Vegetarian and Non-Veg Restaurants in this areas. Dishes that are prepared under Jaffna Cooking style includes many kinds of soupps, Crab curry, Shrimps, Cattlefish, Lobsters, Varities of Fishs, Mutton, Chicken and many other items are available here. (யாழ்ப்பாண முறையில் சமைக்கப்பட்ட இறால,் நண்டு, கடல் நண்டு, கணவாய் , கோழி ஆட்டிறைச்சி, சுறாப்பிட்டு, ஒடியல்கூழ் என சகல விதமான வறுத்த, பொரித்த பிரட்டல் கறிகளும் ரசம் , சூப் வகைகளும் இக் கடைகளில் கிடைக்கும்.)

Yarl Eat House, Station Road.Wellawatte.
46/1 Station Road Wellawatta Colombo 6, Wellawatta, Sri Lanka

Yaal Restaurant,
56, Vaverset Place,Wellawatte Colombo 06.

New Yaal cafe, 30/11 Hamden lane, Wellawatte 06, Sri Lanka.

Yarl Resturant (Formaly Mayuri )
368, Galle Road
Wellawatte Colombo 06.

Chef Ceylon,
(Omega Inn), Galle Road - 36th Lane Junction, Wellawatte, Colombo-06
Used to offer Hoppers (Appam)in the evenings.
1. Plain Appam
2. Milk Appam,
3. Sweet Appam,
4. Omlet Appam,
5. Egg Appam,
6. Cheese Appam.

Jaffna origin Food Items.

Fresh Jaffna vegetables and food stuff are available in the wellawatte area. They are being exported by large companies to the USA and Europe. Specially around the Wellawatte market area and around the Galle Road there are many Stores used to sale Jaffna Vegetables, Gingerly Oil, Jaffna style Chili powder, Kurakan flour, Sukku Coffee and many more special things. Also here is one Government run shop named "Katpagam" which is popular for the Palmyra products including sugar, pani, pannattu and many more items. Jaffna curry powder contains 80% roasted chillies and the remaining 20% is added with roasted corriander, cumin Seeds, fennel Seeds. Pepper seeds, and curry leaves. Tamil of foreign specially from USA and Canada used to buy this curry powder in large scale when they visit Jaffna.

Why Jaffna Meals are different from the other country meals?

Slow clay pot cooking on firewood cookers.
Rice four is prepared by hand in slow process with "Ural" and "Ullakkai". Rice is not powered with modern machines.
Coconuts are scrapped with hand scrappers and not with machines.
Coconut milk for the curries is extracted in slow processing by hand and not with electric blenders.
Natural coconut oil and Gingerly oil is used in dishes and frying purpose.
Chilies are made in to water based paste with black stone "Ammi".
Iddli, Vadai and thosai dough are made with slow grinding in "Attukkal".

Jaffna Street Foods.

All over Jaffna you can find street food near the temples and large junctions. And it is familiar for the people to sell King Coconuts, Mangoes, and Palymarah products.
In the Point Pedro aea you can find road side shops that are selling DOsa and Hoppers. They will make it as per your requests. Of course these street foods are cheaper too.

Popular Jaffna Dishes.

Rasa Valli Pudding.(This will look dark violet color.)
Sago Payasam
Aval Payasam
Rava Payasam
Rice Kanji (Congee)
Panaggaip paniyaram.
Mothagam.
Kolukkattai.
Vaippan
Susiyam
Boli
Valakkai Bajji
Ellup Pagu Urundai.
Pore Vilangai
Appam
Coconut Milk Appam
Panangkatti Appam
Milk Pongal
Sweet Pongal

Pittu, Iddiyappam, thosai, and Iddly are served like bread and must have something to eat along with them like sambal, sambar, sothi and sauces.
Hoppers are available as plain, sweet hopers, Coconut milk hoppers and egg hoppers in resturants.

Jaffna Menu App