Musings :

Cookery book of the Kandyan palace

by Padma Edirisinghe

It is fair to mention at the outset that the above book was given to me by a young friend of mine, sentient to my mania of collecting books obscured by the long shadow of time.

How I would love to spill the beans, sorry, I mean the contents of this rare book! But I cannot for the book deals with much copious matter... There is also an insinuation of a taboo on such reproduction by the famous Punchi Bandara Sannasgala, who put out this work as a compilation. So I will mostly restrict myself to matter in the introduction, daring to touch on some content matter later.

As a prelude I must invest some words on P. B. Sannasgala for his singular devotion to researching into many a facet of bygone days exhibiting much vigour in the process. Who but him covers the long distance that lies between the base of the mountains in Udukinda Pattipola in Uva district to far off Universities in Europe (Germany, Denmark and England) and America? The erudite writer has covered all that long distance despite very simple beginnings. Even in primary education he has received in the village schools of the area. His life brimful of scholastic work that led him savour the myriad opportunities the world has to offer, indeed needs a separate essay. But we have to get back to the cookery book.

Imprudent

Presenting his introduction alternately in English and Sinhala he begins in this strain, “The Sinhala literature has an unbroken history of 1,500 years. Its subjects are many and variegated and among them, food occupies an honoured place, hence culinary art too. The only surviving cookery book, however was composed during the reign of Kandyan kings. But it is imprudent to conclude that there had not been older and more complete cookery books in a society which seems to have been fastidious in the art of cuisine as well as in other arts”. In fact cookery, according to him was one of the 64 arts.

However, he refers to the mention of a cookery book in Sinhalabhasha Ithihasaya, a work authored by the late Ven. Madowita Sri Gnanananda, where mention is made of such a book penned, better say Ola inscribed, during the Dambadeni period of the 13 th Century. Further the Kandavuru Siritha, written during the same period reveals the components of the mid day meal prepared by chefs in the royal palace for Parakramabahu 11.

“The meal was a full course of cooked rice, curry dishes, fruits, sweetmeats and beverages”. No further details.

Persistent as always, Sannasgala did not give up his hunt and was rewarded by Ven. Amunugama Ratnapala of Malwatte Mahaviharaya of Kandy with a cookery book owned by the historical Degaldoruwa temple. Now began further searches that corresponds to the history of cookery books in Lanka despite admonitions for not craving for fastidious food. Perhaps the food recommended was not that fastidious till the entry of Nayakkar kings.

Degaldoruwa

Sannasgala now obtains a copy that belonged to the Degaldoruwa temple from the British Museum further to a copy obtained from the Paththirippuwa library. Then purchased another copy from the library of Copenhagen, Netherlands. Readers should be aware that the Dutch were rulers of the lowlands for a considerable long period enabling them to carry away many an artifact and literary work.

Sannasgala after being informed that the Dorakumbura Walauwa in Matale had managed the royal palace kitchen, went in pursuit of the manuscript in their possession.

Finally Sannasgala had his labours rewarded by being the owner of five manuscripts on the topic. Anyway, they were rather similar and then he concluded that that they were a heirloom of a set of chefs who had embarked on the project of accumulating recipes after the Nayakkar line began. In short the Vaduge favour enters the cooking. It is this book tinctured with that South Indian flavour yet built on native elements that is the subject of this essay. So the book presents a cute combination that is essentially Sinhala in its basics yet receptive to Vaduge tastes.

Consumption

Now the menu had got more variegated and even included meat dishes, but no beef or pork or any other domestic animal killed for human consumption. No reference even to sea fish except for Maldive fish. There was diyamas, i.e. fresh water fish.

Elaborate steps had been initiated to make the meat more succulent and even more nutritious. Vaithi was the name given to the abundance of condiments used to season flavour and aromatize curry dishes. Ginger and pepper replaced today’s chillies ie. Capsicums (dry red miris, become popular with western influence). Perukayam was much used.

Also some novel preparations which seem to be basically native, are given in the book such as the dish made of margosa leaves mixed with olinda leaves and jaggery. Wild boar seems to have been a favourite dish its hides softened by soaking in olinda roots ,wood apple pulp, gingelly and koora roots. Bo leaves, olinda leaves and sap of lotus too have served as tenderizers. These techniques had been jealously guarded by families of royal chefs.

The book going further into other fields in culinary art give the recipes of some obsolete sweetmeats such as Pani kavum and lalu transpiring the fact that royals famous for battles and disputes too had their sweet tooth.

Handbook

Sannasgala winds up this section by this pronouncement- this book is not a mere handbook on cookery giving the recipes for sumptuous and exotic dishes for the royal board but also a source of history showing the high degree of refinement achieved by the Sinhala race in the culinary art. Culinary art too is an art, according to Hela norms, one of the 64 arts.

An index given at the end of the book lists words connected with the cuisine in the Sinhala language. Sannasgala claims this book to be the oldest existing cookery book in the island. Matter is presented in verse form (332 verses), probably compiled by a poet observing the cooking processes going on in the kitchens of Vaduga kings. Ascribed to the 18th Century it is also reckoned as a result of the literary efflorescence spearheaded by Velivita Sri Saranankara, the Sangharaja. This movement led to the putting out of myriad works on many a subject including cookery.