Gnanakatha · ඥානකතා
A traditional Sri Lankan bakery biscuit or cookie—hard, sweet, and crumbly with a distinctive cracked surface, classically enjoyed at village tea shops with a hot cup of Ceylon tea.
Origin
Derived from the Persian compound nān-i khaṭāʾī (نان خطایی, literally "bread of Cathay" or "Cathay biscuit"), which gave rise to the popular South Asian shortbread biscuit Nankhatai. In Sri Lanka, the confection and name evolved into Gnanakatha.
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