Lamprais: An Insight into the Burghers of Sri Lanka
Lamprais is a Sri Lankan meal, a marriage of multiple elements - samba rice, brinjal and meat curries, seeni sambol, fried ash plantain and blachan - steamed and packed in a banana leaf. Lamprais recipes have typically been a Burgher family tradition. It is a meal with a strong, yet gradually wavering legacy.
Lamprais — a humble word for nothing short of magic wrapped in a banana leaf. Individually portioned, each package contains meat, rice and a combination of condiments. The banana leaf doubles as a plate and each element is designed to be consumed with the other.
The dish tells the story of the Sri Lankan Burgher community like no textbook ever could. The term ‘Burgher’ generally refers to the community that remained in Sri Lanka when the Dutch conceded rule to the British in 1802. This term has since come to encompass Sri Lankans, who have existed in the country for multiple generations, with European ancestry. However, the largest Burgher population no longer exists in Sri Lanka but in the West, as many Burgher families chose to leave after the controversial Sinhala Only Act of 1956, which made Sinhala the only official language in the country, causing large-scale losses of employment and social status. This political change caused a shift in the hierarchy of the country’s ethnicities, an imbalance that has never quite corrected itself again.
The introductory history of the lamprais is that the Dutch brought the parcel of rice and condiments in a banana leaf from Indonesia to Sri Lanka sometime in the 17th century. Over the last few hundred years, the Burgher community has refined the process, creating the lamprais we know today. As unanimous as the love of lamprais is, the opinions of what a “real” lamprais is are varied. Nevertheless, most Burgher lamprais makers will agree that lamprais includes the following: A mixed meat curry made from a combination of chicken, mutton, pork and/or beef. Rice, cooked in the meat and spice stock. Brinjal pahi a.k.a fried eggplant. Prawn blachan, the element most reminiscent of the dish’s Indonesian origins. Seeni sambol - caramelised onions, Sri Lankan style. Fried ash plantain and two frikkadels or cutlets. And finally, the ever important banana leaf.
Preparing a Lamprais
Preparing lamprais is a laborious process. Over a call with Jean Daniels, a renowned Burgher lamprais maker, we learn that lamprais are a weeklong process, ultimately culminating as Sunday lunch. The meat is purchased on the bone, marinated and slow cooked to achieve a melt-in your mouth juiciness that is unparalleled. The spiced stock created is used to cook the rice. “The brinjal pahi and seeni sambol themselves take half a day each.” The brinjal pahi is a pickle of sorts, cooked in oil, vinegar, sugar, salt and spices to bring out the very best flavour an eggplant has to offer. Seeni sambol is another example of the prowess of Sri Lanka’s culinary creativity. Although it could essentially be described as sweet and spicy caramelised onions, those who love it, love it for its jaggery-like sweetness and complex heat. The equilibrium of sweet, spicy and sour in these two elements alone are a testament to the greatness of a proper lamprais. The prawn blachan is made from salted, dried prawns roasted with chilli and other spices. The ash plantain is peeled, soaked and fried for an additional layer of texture. Finally, the frikkadels are mini cutlets, usually made from a mince of the meats used in the curry.
The balance of sweet, sour, umami and earthy flavours are definitely the root cause for lamprais’ enduring presence in modern Sri Lanka. Although one might assume the Burghers were trying to be more sustainable, utilising multiple parts of the animal or vegetable to create each element, each detailed step of preparation is in sole pursuit of maximising flavour.
The banana leaf also undergoes its own process. It is cut, washed and sweated over a flame, making it pliable enough to form the parcels and withstand the second cooking process. Once the lamprais is assembled within the banana leaf, it is baked. This is when the relationship between the elements turn from neighbours to a harmonious marriage of flavours. The aroma of a freshly opened lamprais unlocks an atmosphere of warmth, joy and child-like nostalgia that most residents of Sri Lanka are well acquainted with. When asked about their personal relationship with the meal, Daniels says that given the hours it entails, lamprais is a family affair for special occasions.
Lamprais in Banana Leaf
“Sunday family lunch is a big thing.” Many Sri Lankans will understand this sentiment, regardless of their ethnicity or religion. Sundays are a special day, centered around family and friends, good food, stories, and general merriment. The weeklong lamprais process is made worthwhile when you sit at the table to enjoy the literal fruit of your labour
An Authentic Lamprais
Like most histories from story-telling communities, little information about the dish is formally documented. The longevity of lamprais has relied on recipes being passed from one generation to the next. However, due to the secrecy surrounding said recipes, inauthentic iterations of lamprais have been rampantly reproduced.
“Sadly anything wrapped in a banana leaf is lamprais in this country,” says ` Daniels. She adds that this comes from a lack of understanding of what lamprais really is. The addition of eggs and seafood, however delicious they may be, are undeniably inauthentic. The lamprais has also grown in size over time. “Those days they would only add three tablespoons of rice.” However, demand often drives supply, explaining the increase of lamprais from snack sized portions to full blown meals. “They’ve gotten bigger since, but my lamprais is still probably the smallest.”
The unchanging variable and the most critical part in the process is the ritual of it. Family members rely on one another to get through the process. ‘Family’ encompasses more than just blood relatives, but also staff, friends and neighbours from differing ethno-religious backgrounds, forming the Sri Lankan community household.
Although it seems just as likely that this is the magic of a lamprais, the laborious effort is also its biggest threat. Authentic recipes and people willing to make them are scarce, and the option to commercialise is tempting. Even Daniels can attest that the creation of an authentic lamprais is demanding, but she refuses to compromise, strongly favouring quality over quantity.
A Culture of Lamprais
If there was ever a dish that held a mirror to intra-community linkage it is the lamprais. It reflects the recipe inherited across generations. It signifies hours and days spent in the kitchen together that have not only fostered bonds within the community, but have also played a role in passing down Bugher culture.
What was once a Sunday staple is now the strongest link to a community almost lost. The compromises made on quality and quantity have weakened the status of an authentic lamprais, reflecting a weakening of Burgher culture as a whole. The Burghers, who were once leaders of Sri Lanka’s social, artistic and academic circles, were slowly but surely pushed out of the country post-independence. The suppression of a community’s contributions to a country has not gone unnoticed, but the true cost of compromise is there may one day come a time where one will no longer be able to find an authentic lamprais. The balance of flavours represents the balance of cultures, the process proving that supporting each other and working together can only take us further. If each spoke relies on the other to turn the wheel, we can only go forward.
If you ever find yourself in the vicinity of an authentic lamprais indulge your senses in a satisfying meal your soul will thank us for.
Shakthi Ponniah is a young, Sri Lankan Chef interested in exploring and reinforcing the relationship between food, culture and harmony.
Nikhita Panwar is an independent writer from Delhi, currently based in Montreal. When she's not writing, eating or reminiscing about home food, she can be found biking around the city or reading at the park.
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