Rice

 

Popularly known as the Oriental Granary of Asia, Sri Lanka has introduced over 2000 varieties of indigenous rice to the world.

Paddy cultivation in Sri Lanka is revered and the authenticity of this process is proved by the production strategies and the holiness associated with the production process.

Rice has a sacred place among Buddhists, Hindus and Muslims. Also, rice (milk rice) cooked with coconut milk was first reserved for the Blessed Sacrament as a Buddha Pooja and even today Kiribath holds a special place in sacred ceremonies and important occasions in Sri Lankan culture. These gods claim that the traditional native varieties of paddy, which are highly nutritious, have the potential to cure various ailments such as diabetes and cancer that exist today.

In the past, these varieties of paddy were used for medicinal purposes. It is said that this paddy has the ability to remove toxins from the body. The gods say that in today's society, where poison is applied to every crop, the human body is like a storehouse of food poisoning. The puree of this rice is used in the treatment of Hela official medicine. It is said that the only way to get rid of toxins stored in the human body is to drink porridge from this medicinal rice.

Types of rice currently cultivated by our farmers

 suwadal
 kaluheenati
 Ma vi
 pachchaperum mal
 kurulu thudu
 rath deal
 Madathawalu
 Hetada vi
 kurulu thuda
 kaluhinati
kahawanu

Today, traditional rice is also exported. Accordingly, the pioneers are trying to gain international recognition for some of the tea names as well as for the traditional Sri Lankan rice.