Sri Lanka cooks up tasty treats for Koreans
By Rachel Lee
Sri Lankan Ambassador to Korea Manisha Gunasekera. / Courtesy of the Sri Lankan Embassy
Korea and Sri Lanka know how to enjoy spicy, hot foods, says Sri Lankan Ambassador to Korea Manisha Gunasekera.
Following the success of a food promotion last year, the Sri Lankan Embassy in Seoul will hold another at the Millennium Seoul Hilton, starting Thursday and running until Feb. 7. The “Sri Lanka Food Festival” is part of celebrations for the country’s 68th anniversary of independence, which falls on Feb. 4.
“Two experienced chefs from the Hilton Colombo will come to Korea and prepare a range of Sri Lankan dishes and Ceylon tea as well,” the ambassador said.
Sri Lankan dishes on the menu include crab curry, string hopper pilau, fish ambulthiyal, brinjalmoju and dhal wade. A selection of traditional Sri Lankan desserts and the signature Ceylon tea are also ready to delight Korean gourmets.
“Ceylon tea is renowned around the world for its superior quality and taste,” she said. “At the food promotion, we will introduce our specialty teas from different regions on the island, such as Nuwara Eliya, Uda Pussellawa, Uva and Dimbulla.”
Sri Lankan cuisine — mostly rice-based meals — was influenced by Portugal and the Netherlands, which ruled Sri Lanka in the 16th century.
“We eat spicy, hot foods like Koreans and bread hoppers as well,” Gunasekera said. “It’s very diverse.”
This is Gunasekera’s first time in Korea. Before she was appointed in September, she was director general for East Asia and the Pacific at the Sri Lankan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and deputy permanent representative of the Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to the U.N. in Geneva.
Despite being in Korea for a short time, the ambassador has become a fan of local food, enjoying temple food in particular.
“I like it because there are a lot of vegetables and it’s simple and healthy,” the diplomat said.
Apart from the food festival, the ambassador is seeking to boost cultural exchanges between the two countries.
“We are planning to present a number of cultural events this year, such as Sri Lanka’s traditional dance percussion performances and also an exhibition of artifacts,” the ambassador said. “I think the two sides’ historical bonds based on Buddhism make the relations more interesting. And I would like to show more of what we have to a Korean audience.”
According to the embassy, Korea and Sri Lanka established diplomatic relations in 1977. Since then, there has been a steady expansion in political, economic and cultural fields.
With the inauguration of the new national unity government in Sri Lanka, led by President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, last year, there is a greater focus on deepening relations with Korea, with high-level exchanges this year and next and a round of political consultations in Colombo.