Sri Lanka is in the midst of an economic crisis. With food prices soaring and sellers unable to pass on the costs to customers who will not pay more than a few rupees for street food, many isso vade sellers have seen their profits decrease. While most will turn to alternative means of income, some vow to remain. Mani, a vade seller on Galle Face, has watched the transformation of Colombo from small city to restless capital from behind his street food cart since 1965. "I was just 13 years old when I started making isso vade at home and selling them to support my family. Now, once expenses are considered, we make only a small profit each month. But I would never consider another trade because if I'm not on Galle Face, my customers will not eat anywhere else. This is something to be proud of," he told me.

I have beloved memories of biting through the crispy exterior, the soft, gritty centre tasting of well-seasoned lentils with the delectable flavour of chopped onions, curry leaves and savoury prawns fried in their shells. It's incredible to think that vade, in its original form, crossed an ocean with an immigrant community to arrive on this tiny island far from home. No one could have known that this spicy snack would go on to unite Sri Lankans across ethnicities, religion and class as they sit with friends to watch the sun go down. If this tasty snack can't survive the economic crisis, it is not merely a street food and livelihoods that are threatened, but two centuries of history will be lost alongside it.