List of Sri Lankan sweets and desserts

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This is a list of notable Sri Lankan sweets and desserts. Sri Lanka is well known throughout South Asia for sweets and desserts originating from there. Desserts are usually served as part of main meals, whereas sweets are consumed at tea times. Many Sri Lankan desserts and sweets contain domestic spices, jaggery and kithul ( Caryota urens ) treacle. Locally made treacle and jaggery are the most common sweeteners.Sri Lanka's most famous sweet as acknowledged by all Sri Lankan is kawum .

Contents

Desserts

NameImageMain ingredientsDescription
Watalappam Watalappan (23091763250).jpg Coconut milk, jaggery (kittul treacle), eggs, spices (cardamom, cloves)The most popular dessert among Sri Lankan Muslims during Ramadan. Commonly served at weddings, parties and other special ceremonies.
Buffalo curd Curd-Sri Lanka.jpg Buffalo milk, starter culturePopular in southern Sri Lanka for weddings, alms, and as a household dessert.
Semolina and jaggery pudding Semolina, jaggery, milk, spices cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla A less common dessert.
Avocado Cream Avocado, sugar, creamHousehold dessert often offered in restaurants.
Kirala (Lumnitzera littorea) fruit milkKirala fruits, treacleA dessert drink popular in southern Sri Lanka.
Kithul flour puddingKithul flour, coconut milk, jaggery or sugar, spicesA popular dessert among Sinhalese people, offered in some small restaurants.
Wood apple milkWood apple, coconut milk, sugarA very popular dessert drink.
Pudding of dulyaEggs, milk, bread crumbs, sugar, vanillaSimilar to bread pudding. Used for special occasions.
Sago pudding Sago Soup.jpg Sago, sugar, milk, eggsThis is popular among all communities in Sri Lanka. Mostly offered at Tamil weddings and cultural festivals.

Sweets

Commonly used ingredients across traditional Sri Lankan sweets are Rice flour, treacle and coconut milk. Treacle is a food sweetening syrup made from the sap oozing from "tapped" blossoms of palm trees, particularly, Coconut (Cocos nusifera) or "Kithul" (Caryota urens).

NameImageMain ingredientsDescription
Aasmi Rice flour, coconut milk and the juice of cinnamon leaves Deep fried but served cooled. Popular treat served at Sinhalese New Year and special events.
Aggala Kithul treacle, rice flour, pepperSpicy sweet. Mostly prepared for tea time in villages.
Aluwa Aluwa.jpg Rice flour, sugar, milk, butter, spices (cardamom, cloves)Popular among Sinhalese. Served at cultural festivals.
Athirasa Rice flour, treacle, coconut milkA very popular and culturally important Sinhalese sweet. Diamond or round shaped batter deep fried in hot oil.
Bibikkan Bibikkan.jpg Semolina, raisins, treacle, rice flour, scrapped coconut, spices and flavoursSimilar to fruit cake.
Dosi Annasi Dosi.jpg Fruit, sugar, watercandied fruit
Green Gram cake (Mung Kevum)Rice flour, mung flour, treacle, ghee, spicesA popular Sinhalese sweet fried in oil often used at cultural events.
Halaparice flour, kurakkan flourIt's usually wrapped in a leaf.
Kalu Dodol Kalu Dodol.JPG kithul jaggery, rice flour, coconut milk, and cashew nutsSri Lankan dodol. Household sweet, usually served at tea time and special events. Prepared by boiling Coconut milk and Kitul Juggery in big Pan (thachi) and adding rice flour, cashew nut and spices to the reduced mix.
Kesari bhath Kesari (SL).jpg Rava, cardamon, sugar, gheeA South Indian sweet now very popular among Tamils, who cook it for celebrations.
Kevum (Oil Cake) Konda Kavum 01.JPG Rice flour, treacle, coconut milkA very popular Sinhalese sweet. Fried in hot oil pan individually. The small bump at top gives the name 'konda' (tied hair).Ladies with special skill to get "Kanda" wins respect.
Kiri aluwa (milk toffee) Kiri Aluwa.jpg Condensed milk, sugar, cashew nuts, cardamomsoft milk toffee
Kokis Kokis.JPG Rice flour, coconut milkCrispy biscuit-like, Of Dutch origin
Lavariya Rice flour, Pol Pani Soft string hoppers filled with caramelised coconut
Popo (coconut balls)Coconut, sugar, flour, essenceUsed in rituals and special events.
SowboroFlour, sugar, rulan, scraped coconut, butter and saltPopular biscuit among Sinhalese, available only in village boutiques and fairs.
Undu Walalu/Undu Wal or Pani Walalu Urad bean flour and kithul treacleTasty crispy tubes filled with Kithul treacle. Looks like earthworm but a world class sweet, unique to Sri Lanka.
Weli ThalapaRice flour, scraped coconut, Kitul or coconut treacle, spicesHousehold sweet, usually served at tea time. Prepared in two step process, first is to prepare Pittu with Rice flour and second to mix that with Kitul / Coconut treacle.

See also