I’m not even going to pretend that I’ve ever made mutton rolls, so there will be no recipe here.

Nonetheless, if you’ve ever spent time in Sri Lanka you’ll know that they are widely available, often at the roadside. They constitute a leading role (sorry) in the delightful culture of “short eats”. These are a type of fusion food that evolved centuries before fusion food became a term, incorporating Indian, Portuguese, Dutch, British and other national influences, all flipped to local pallettes and lovingly cultivated through the generations on this special island.

However, unlike some of the colonial powers I mention above, the Mutton Roll is thought to have come from China, which has invested in and influenced Sri Lanka significantly in recent years, but never colonised the country.

They resemble a spring roll, but with a thicker, softer shell (still with a delightful breadcrumbed crunch). Variations with different fillings exist, but the classic main ingredient is curried mutton.

Something that combines the satisfaction of crunchy-fried orange carbohydrate with soft, melt-in-the-mouth curried morsels ranks extremely high in the comfort competition. They are delightful.

As a drinking snack

In case you were wondering, they make a delightful, spicy and comforting accompaniment to a martini. Indeed most savoury Sri Lankan short eats do. I’ll probably have to undertake some intensive labour-of-love research to really examine this in greater detail. What a burden.

For now, you can read more about the delightful drinking and accompanying food habits of Sri Lankan culture here.

Superstition

The fiery snakey face creature here is called a Yakka, which means ‘devil’. I have a considerable number of them because they are used in Sri Lankan culture to ward off evil, especially from your home. I have mine facing my front door to scare off any djinn that might try to get in. I would like to thank them for twenty years of hard service. Bohoma istuti.

Sri Lankan culture is positively filled with delightful superstitions with which I continue to live to this day.

The first person you meet when you leave your home in the morning determines your luck for the rest of your day. I’ll continue enjoying that one for the rest of my life. Considering I live in Elephant and Castle that might not be very long, but it’s certainly a fun roulette spin every morning when I leave my building.

Sex, Drugs and Mutton Rolls

Normally I eat mutton rolls on a day out, usually on a visit to Croydon. However, on this occasion my Sri Lankan friend Suraj paid me a visit and brought a trove of them for a drinking session around the table (the universal venue). I poured some martinis and we got to enjoy them fancy style.

The ideal martini canapé is bitesize and can be held in one hand. A mutton roll can be held in one hand but it is not bitesize. It therefore loses points for elegance. Nonetheless, it makes up for the loss in terms of taste, texture and that sense of pure comfort.

Food also obviously tastes better when it’s been made specially by someone, or in this case, brought from afar at great difficulty. What a treat.

Thank you Suraj for this delightful taste of Sri Lanka. And thank you Sri Lanka for never letting me down when it comes to taste, texture and comfort.