Even though the Tamil language has Dravidian roots and Sinhala belongs to the Indo-Aryan family, centuries of living, trading, and eating together have made these languages share far more than just a few words.
Over the coming weeks, we’ll explore some of these shared words that connect people, culture, and everyday life.
And today, we begin with a few that everyone loves — the language of food.
සම්බෝල (Sambol) / சாம்பல் (Saambal) — Spicy condiment
පිට්ටු (Pittu) / புட்டு (Puttu) — Steamed rice flour cylinder
ආප්ප (Appa) / ஆப்பம் (Appam) — Bowl-shaped rice pancake
රොටි (Roti) / ரொட்டி (Rotti) — Flatbread
කොස් (Kos) / கோசு (Kosu) — Jackfruit / cabbage (contextual)
වරක (Varaka) / வரகு (Varagu) — Millet