Lanka Food is a comprehensive guide to Sri Lankan cooking from acclaimed chef and restaurateur O Tama Carey. Sitting on the edge of the Indian Ocean, just below India, is a tiny teardrop-shaped island called Sri Lanka – Lanka is sanskrit for island, in Tamil meaning 'that which glitters'. It is a country full of contradictions, and the food of Sri Lanka is equally hard to pin down. While the dishes are slowly gaining international recognition, the foundations and building blocks of Sri Lankan cooking are complex. They reflect the many diverse peoples, history, flavors and ideas that have overlapped to create a cuisine that is distinct yet difficult to define.