Alpal

Älpäl
Alternative names	Sakaramoṭan
Type	Confectionery
Place of origin	Sri Lanka
Main ingredients	jaggery/sugar, water

Älpäl, also known as Sakaramoṭan, is a traditional Sri Lankan confectionery. It is similar to pulled jaggery or taffy.^[1]^[2]

In 1886 Ceylonese Crown Counsel, Louis Nell, in his explanatory list of Portuguese words adopted by the Sinhalese defines älpäl as being a preparation of sugar, vended in the streets by the Chinese and now Tamils. He goes further to state that it comes in two forms of long pieces either resembling the English confectionary known as rock sugar or butterscotch.^[3]^[4]

Älpäl is considered to be derived from the Portuguese term alfeloa or alfelos, which is described as "clarified sugar flavoured with scented water, boiled until it forms a hard ball, kneaded on a marble slab and pulled, allowed to harden and then broken up".^[5]^[6]

References

^ Handbook for the Ceylon Traveller. Studio Times. 1974. p. 28.
^ "The Curious Case of 'Traditional' Sri Lankan Food and Their Foreign Origins". Roar Media. 4 January 2017. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
^ Nell, Louis (1886). Goonetilleke, William (ed.). "The Orientalist". Explanatory List of Portuguese words adopted by the Sinhalese. 2–3. Bombay: Education Society Press: 43.
^ de S. Jayasuriya, Shihan (2001). Tagus to Taprobane: Portuguese Impact on the Socio-culture of Sri Lanka from 1505 AD. Vol. 20. Tisara Prakasakayo. p. 28. ISBN 9789555640626.
^ Newman, Elizabeth Thompson (1964). A Critical Edition of an Early Portuguese Cookbook. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina. p. xxxiv.
^ Academia das Ciências (Lisbon) (1793). Diccionario Da Lingoa Portugueza (in Portuguese). Vol. 1. Workshop of the Same Academy. p. 208.

Sri Lankan cuisine

Dishes

Rice	Biryani Diyabath Idli Kaha bath Kiribath Lamprais Nasi goreng Pittu Rice and curry
Roti	Gothamba roti Kottu roti Pol roti Uraippu roti
Other	Dosa Hoppers Kankun mallung Kola kanda Kool Mee goreng Sathe String hoppers Upma

Side dishes

Bread	Gal Banis Jam paan Kimbula Banis Maalu paan Roast Paan Seeni Banis Sri Lankan tea bun Theti Paan
Curry	Curry Apple curry Beetroot curry Brinjal paal curry Cashew curry Chicken curry Kakuluwo curry (Crab curry) Elumas (Lamb curry) Ismoru (Beef curry) Jaffna lamb curry Malu Mirisata (Fish curry) Mango curry Moju (Pork curry) Murunga curry Polos (Jackfruit curry) Potato curry Pumpkin curry
Other	Malay Achcharu Babath Fish Cutlet Dal Ekor soup Gotukola Gova Kaldu Kiri hodi Mallung Papadum Rasam Sambol Katta sambal Pol sambol Seeni sambol Vaalai kai sambal Sri Lankan omelette Thakkadi