Food and Cuisine in Sri Lanka: A Culinary Adventure Awaits

Rice and Curry

Rice and Curry is a main dish concept where a plate of steamed rice is served with small portions of multiple delicious dishes such as fish curry, chicken curry, dhal curry, certain vegetables and green grams. They also add some mouth-watering sides like pappadam, pol sambol, pickles and mallung. This nutritional and flavourful main meal is mostly served for lunch and dinner in Sri Lankan homes. 

Kottu Roti

Kottu is a very popular Sri Lankan street food that is mostly served late at night by roadside vendors. It is a very rich savoury dish made using flat bread chopped into pieces and stir fried after adding various flavourful ingredients such as chicken, beef, seafood,vegetables, spices and various sauces. There are many varieties of this dish such as cheese kottu, seafood kottu, black curry kottu etc. catering specifically to your taste buds.

Milk Rice 

Milk rice is a staple meal and a traditional dish of Sri Lankan cuisine. It is a creamy textured meal made using rice cooked in coconut milk and water. It is a main meal mostly served for breakfast and it is served as block shaped pieces along with yummy sides such as jaggery, onion Sambol or pol Sambol. It is also one of the main dishes served during Sinhala and Tamil new year celebrations of Sri Lanka as it is believed to be a food item that symbolises fortune and prosperity. 

Hoppers 

Hopper also known as Appa is a popular delicious dish that is served for breakfast in Sri Lankan homes as well as street food by the roadside. It is a unique bowl shaped food  made out of rice flour and coconut milk. It is mostly served with spicy sides like lunu miris (onion sambol) or curries but certain people also enjoy it with coconut milk or sugar for a sweet taste. There are 3 main types of hoppers that you can enjoy. Namely, plain hoppers, egg hoppers and sweet hoppers.

Lamprice

Lamprice also known as lamprais is a popular celebratory rice meal in Sri Lanka that was influenced by the Dutch and burghers living in this nation. It is a plate of rice wither served on a banana leaf or a lotus leaf with delicious curries and sides like eggs, meat, chicken, beef, and vegetables. It is very aromatic and mouth-watering as it is prepared using Sri Lankan traditional spices. Mainly served at celebratory gatherings and special events such as weddings, parties and festivals. 

Fresh seafood such as fish, crabs, prawns, cuttlefish, shrimps,lobsters etc can be often seen as Sri Lanka is a beautiful Island located in the Indian ocean. 

Ambul Thiyal 

Ambul Thiyal is a very famous Sri Lankan dish that is often served with rice. It a very sour fish curry made using tuna or mackerel fish cut into chunks and various savoury spices. It is known as a dish that can be stored for a very long time without spoiling. 

Grilled Fish

Grilled fish is a very common dish that is mostly seen in Coastal areas of Sri Lanka. Made with a variety of fish marinated using various succulent spices then grilled on open flame or charcoal for a crispy taste. If you are travelling by the coastal side of Sri Lanka, don't miss tasting the delicious grilled fish that is served with lime and chill that can be purchased by the road side. 

Sri Lanka features many delicious native fruits like wood apple,pineapple,custard apple , belimal,papaya, passion fruit etc. Enjoying a king coconut drink is a brilliant way to cool off on a hot day while travelling. Also don’t forget to try certain exotic fruits like rambutan, mangosteen, dragon fruit, star fruit and durian for a change. 

Sri Lanka is world famous for its delicious ceylon tea. Don’t forget to visit tea factories, estates and museums in top tea regions in Sri Lanka like Nuwara Eliya and Kandy to enjoy fresh aromatic rare tea varieties such as white tea, black tea and green tea.  Many locals drink ayurvedic herbal teas like ginger tea, turmeric tea, lemongrass tea and cinnamon tea to improve their health and hydrate.  Certain locals also enjoy fresh fruit juices, smoothies and faluda drinks to cool their body during warm days. 

There are over 50 distinct types of desserts and sweet varieties in Sri Lanka, Try out mouth watering Sri Lankan desserts and sweet treats made of fresh local ingredients like Watalappan, curd, kokis, aluwa, halapa, coconut toffees, kalu dodol and various types of kavum. 

Sri Lankan has a very wide street food culture that has over 50 varieties of famous and delicious street food types like isso wade, kottu, hoppers, roti, achcharu,samosa, fish cutlets,gulab jamun etc. 

Sri Lankans rarely use cutlery, eating with hands is a very popular traditional aspect in Sri Lanka, and they most often use their right hand fingers to eat food. It might seem uncomfortable at first but as many locals say, food tastes better that way. Therefore, definitely try it! 

Many luxury hotels and resorts in Sri Lanka offer cooking classes to learn how to cook Sri Lankan traditional dishes, which can be a very fun and unique family friendly activity and experience to bond.  Also, visit tea estates in Sri Lanka for guided tea estate tours and tea tasting sessions. Certain resorts have farms of their own where guests can harvest the produce and they will use that to cook their meals, which is also a unique experience. Temples of Sri Lanka distributes vegetarian meals during Poya days to visitors where you can enjoy a very simple yet delicious Sri Lankan meal.

Hygiene:  If you consider eating food using your hands to get more familiar with the Sri Lankan culture, make sure to wash your hands well before eating to avoid germs.

Spice Levels:  Sri Lankan food can be extremely spicy at times, therefore consider having sweets, water bottles around during meal times and if it’s too spicy consider asking to lower the spice level.

Water: Always consider drinking bottled, filtered or boiled water to avoid stomach issues.