What is lamprais? Sri Lanka created one of the world's greatest box lunches

THE DISH

Lamprais, Sri Lanka

PLATE UP

Welcome to one of the world's greatest boxed lunches. A Sri Lankan lamprais has everything you need to set you up for the rest of the day – or, the rest of a few days. It's a large mound of rice (cooked in rich stock), plus one or two meat or vegetable curries, a spiced meatball (sometimes replaced with a fish cutlet), a boiled egg, some eggplant sambal and coconut belacan, all wrapped in a banana leaf.

FIRST SERVE

Lamprais is a delicious clash of Sri Lankan, Dutch and Portuguese cultures. Its history dates to the 17th century, when Dutch Burghers – an ethnic group of Dutch, Portuguese and Sri Lankan descent – on the island began adapting a Javanese meal called lemper (rice and meat wrapped in a banana leaf) to local tastes, including a Dutch-style frikkadel, or meatball, along with local curries and sides. The name is thought to be a derivative of the Dutch word "lomprijst".

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Lamprais is readily available throughout Sri Lanka as a handy take-home meal. For one of the best to eat in-house, try VOC Cafe at the Dutch Burgher Union in Colombo (thedutchburgherunion.org).

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