SriLankan Airlines embarked on a journey of flavours that unravels the best-kept secrets of the island’s legendary gastronomy, with the launch of its SriLankan Flavours menu, featuring a fascinating line up of authentically Sri Lankan dishes, championing locally sourced ingredients and culinary traditions that have been passed down from generation to generation. The menu presents the flavours and textures that define Sri Lanka’s unique culinary experience whilst emphasising on their health properties, thus appealing to the health-conscious, contemporary traveller.

We wanted to present Sri Lankan food on an international platform to travellers, who are now more than ever keen to experience new tastes and flavours.

The new introductions feature immunity booster drinks served on all our premium routes as a welcome drink, new desserts which are traditionally Sri Lankan but international in appeal, Main dishes with a range of new flavours from across the island and champion ingredients and spices which Sri Lanka is famous for.

The campaign highlights preparation methods from age old recipes that are handed down over generations, combining Sri Lanka’s multi-faceted and multicultural history and influences – a story shared through our food experience. Retaining the authenticity of ingredients packed with nutritional, medicinal value and health benefits was our objective.

The end goal was to present authentically Sri Lankan food to a global audience and allow them to share in a little part of who we are and what fuels us – food from our home Sri Lanka which fuels the mind, body and soul.

In order to differentiate the “SriLankan Airlines experience” versus our competition our positioning over the years has been on what makes us unique as a nation, warm and friendly people with inherent hospitality.

This has been the trademark of our service delivery across all touch points.

As national carrier, we constantly seek ways to strengthen the link between the airline and our island and give our customers a sense of “us” – who we are and what makes us unique. Our “SriLankaness” is what we want our passengers to experience, to remember and most importantly to come back for.

Along the same lines we wanted to differentiate SriLankan Airlines by emphasizing something that was unique to us – our food, with its deep-rooted history; a fusion of tastes, colours and flavours.

Enhancing the Sri Lankan meal option onboard was one of these steps. Almost all our flights from our hub Colombo have one dish that is Sri Lankan, together with two or three other continental options in both Business and Economy.

Our Business class lounges in Colombo – the Serendib and Serendiva lounge – also have many new dishes complimenting the offering onboard with new introductions like porridges, heirloom rice dishes and local desserts being introduced.

The next phase of the campaign would be an extension to the local chefs and hospitality industry in SriLanka to partner with us in curating dishes for service onboard and at our premier lounges in our home base.

The SriLankan Flavours campaign is just one of many initiatives of the airline aiming to deliver a superior and quintessentially Sri Lankan inflight experience for its customers.

Sri Lankan cuisine has been an integral part of SriLankan Airlines’ inflight product since the beginning, with many frequent flyers looking forward to the airline’s signature Sri Lankan dishes when they travel. Passengers could always expect to see a Sri Lankan meal option on their inflight menu and enjoy authentic Sri Lankan food alongside a continental spread whenever they fly.

The thinking beyond this campaign for SriLankan Airlines was to create a “Sri Lankan” experience from the minute one steps onboard.
For our visitors it was to give them a sense of the country from our interior design which reflects the natural beauty of its flora and fauna captured in the seat covers, décor and amenities. Our service is designed to highlight our people with hospitality being a natural trait for all of us.

For Sri Lankans travelling with us it is to bring them the familiarity of home from the minute one steps onboard. This is what we try to incorporate into all aspects of our service across all touch points. The introduction of the new dishes retaining their authenticity despite being served onboard at 33,000 feet is one aspect of this big picture.

This campaign also showcases the country and what it has to offer for the culinary adventurer in our responsibility as national airline. It champions essentially local ingredients and traditional recipes and preparation, but appeals to all. Its food that you will not see on any other airline.

New Introductions
Immunity Boosters:
▪ King coconut with coconut pulp – the quintessential island favourite, ‘Thambili’ served with the refreshing coconut pulp, which contains antioxidants and minerals.
▪ Aloe vera and pineapple – the cooling sensation of aloe vera paired with the sweet, flavourful notes of pineapple rich in vitamin C.
▪ Cucumber and honey – the soothing cucumber blended with the earthy flavours of honey, the ultimate superfood.
▪ Soursop and cardamom – the aromatic notes of cardamom complementing the flavourful notes of soursop, high in vitamins and antioxidants

Desserts
▪ Lewariya – a delectable, sweet dish of a dumpling covered in a lacey rice-flour outer layer with a generous serving of freshly grated coconut cooked in rich treacle.
▪ Curd with waraka (ripe jackfruit) compote – curd, dubbed the dessert of the Royals in Sri Lanka, is fermented buffalo milk, served in a clay pot. The modern twist to the dish introduces waraka compote, made of ripe jackfruit, as an accompaniment.

Mains
▪ Egg Roti with Parawa Fish curry, Tomato Curry & Crumb Fried Prawns
▪ Kurakkan Roti with Chicken Curry, Dhal Curry & Lunumiris
▪ Pol Pittu With Chickpea Curry and Lunumiris
▪ Lamprais with Fried Ash plantain & Brinjal Pahi, Fried Onion Sambal & Veg. Stuffed Capsicum
▪ Kuruluthuda Rice with Chicken Pepper Curry and Seasonal vegetable Curries
▪ Yellow rice with devilled chicken and dry tempered bitter gourd.
▪ Lawariya with Pineapple compote & Caramelized Star Fruit (Local sweet breakfast)

The campaign also highlights the “Champion Ingredients” of some of the main dishes served. These ingredients are sourced locally and showcase the variety and uniqueness of the raw ingredients and dish in its entirety.
▪ Ginger – the crumb-fried prawns and ginger infused curry served with the local favourite, egg roti, brings out the signature notes of ginger which is an ingredient embraced for both its flavour and healing properties.
▪ Clove – lumprais, a parcel of history on a platter, unveils the country’s Dutch Burgher influence on its cuisine. A complete meal artfully brought together and wrapped in a banana leaf to preserve flavours, contains richly flavoured rice infused with clove, fried ash plantain, chicken curry, fried boiled egg, cutlets, and more.
▪ Kurakkan – Kurakkan is packed with fibre and minerals and this Sri Lankan stove-topped flatbed accompanied by typical local side dishes and condiments are guaranteed to create a feast.
▪ Kuruluthuda – Sri Lankan cuisine features many heirloom rice varieties with each containing various health properties.