As the sandalwood and cinnamon sticks burned in the bright flames of the hearth, adding a soothing aroma to the air around, queen of the hearth sat on a newly seasoned clay pot, awaiting coronation. Kiribath or milk rice – by which she is more commonly known – would soon be prepared and offered to Lord Buddha as ‘ksheera payasa’, completing her enthronement. To my punchi amma (aunt), the process of preparing milk rice for the kiri pindu pooja (offerings for Lord Buddha) was a labour of love and piety. She would sit beside the hearth that was set up under a specially made white canopy, and continue to stir the pot of rice in silence, until it reached the right texture.
Milk rice has always held a special place in the hearts of Sri Lankans as it is mostly prepared in celebration of opulence, happiness, to mark a new beginning or as an offering to the Buddha or Sangha. Hence, the reason behind naming milk rice queen of the hearth. This dish has stood the test of time in the Ceylonese food culture as a symbol of prosperity; and today there is not a household in the island that does not prepare milk rice to mark an auspicious deed.
The origin of this tradition however is unknown, although several scholars have made different theories on how this practice could have originated.
The earliest record of milk rice in history is from a tale in Buddhist culture, which mentions that Lady Sujatha offered milk rice to Lord Buddha on a golden bowl, which is considered as the meal that Lord Buddha consumed just before attaining enlightenment. Prince Siddhartha’s enlightenment is revered among Buddhists as a milestone in Buddhist history and thus, some scholars believe this to be the origin of the practice of consuming milk rice before embarking upon an auspicious deed.
Prominent scholar and folklore researcher Mahinda Kumara Dalupotha however, bears a different opinion. He believes that milk rice is a dish that we adopted from the Indian culture which originated from the Indus River Valley Civilization. He says that the consumption of milk rice prior to a new beginning was a practice among the ancient inhabitants of the Indus River Valley. He points out that special ingredients such as sesame, plums, cashews and refined sugar cane – which were considered to auspicious according to astrology were used when preparing milk rice.
For the longest time in history and even today, the livelihood of Sri Lankans is woven around agriculture were paddy cultivation is given prominence. Historic evidence show that paddy and the lives of Sri Lankan has had an intricate bond since the pre-historic era. Similarly, the coconut tree was also a crop that proved to be immensely useful to Sri Lankans as they fondly called it ‘kap ruka’ – a divine tree that grants what you wish for. It was thus named owing to the numerous uses of coconuts from its fruit, leaves, to the trunk. Rice and coconut milk being the two prime ingredients of milk rice, a school of thought prevails that the tradition of milk rice could have been born out of the connection between paddy and coconut with the Sri Lankan way of life.
Plain milk rice being the most common out of milk rice dishes is prepared by adding coconut milk to rice and served with katta sambol (a ground mix of chilli flakes, onions, green chilli, salt and dried Maldive fish). However, there are variations of this dish known as mung kiribath (milk rice prepared with mung beans) and imbul or kotta kiribath (prepared with a stuffing made of honey and coconut).
Interestingly, moulds with carved patterns were used in aristocratic families when preparing milk rice. This mould would consist of a frame and an inner craved piece that fit into it. Milk rice would be filled on the frame and the carved inner piece would then be pressed on it to imprint the pattern on the carving. When served, each piece of milk rice would then have the pattern imprinted atop it – which was an indirect indication of the social status of that family.
Despite the uncertain origin, even today, milk rice signifies prosperity, new beginnings, happiness, blessings and all that is positive in life. Undoubtedly, this tradition will live on in years to come, as it has throughout history.
