In the Kitchens of the Gods

Rambutan founder Cynthia Shanmugalingam on the temple food of Jaffna.

By Cynthia Shanmugalingam
Illustrations by Harriet Yakub

Every late afternoon, at around five, the shimmering pink sun starts slowly to sink into Jaffna’s unmistakable red earth and the temple for Lord Ganesha at the end of my parents’ lane starts to glow. It is time for evening prayers. Our faces light up too: prasadam time.