The Sri Lankan cuisine experience is perhaps the least appreciated throughout Asia. It blends from its rich heritage, collecting influences from Dutch, Indian, Portuguese, and indigenous traditions, and resulting in food that’s rich and comforting.
Each destination has its specialties, as coastal areas specialize in seafood, while inland communities rely on vegetables and rice. The following are 20 must-eat dishes that showcase the incredible diversity and richness of Sri Lankan cuisine.
Rice and Curry
Sri Lanka’s national staple is a complete meal rather than a single dish. A typical rice and curry spread includes red or white rice surrounded by at least four different curries, pickles, and sambols.
The combinations change daily in most homes, featuring everything from jackfruit to fish, creating an entirely new experience with each meal.
Hoppers (Appa)
These bowl-shaped pancakes made from fermented rice flour and coconut milk feature crispy edges and a soft center. Many locals enjoy them for breakfast with a perfectly cooked egg in the middle, creating ‘egg hoppers’ that pair wonderfully with spicy sambals.
The slight tanginess from fermentation balances beautifully with whatever accompaniment you choose.
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String Hoppers (Idiyappam)
These delicate nests of steamed rice flour noodles serve as the perfect canvas for absorbing curry flavors. Locals typically enjoy them for breakfast or dinner with dhal curry and coconut sambol.
The texture provides a satisfying contrast to the creaminess of the curries they accompany.
Kottu Roti
The ultimate Sri Lankan street food consists of godamba roti (a flatbread) chopped and mixed with spices, vegetables, and your choice of protein on a hot griddle. The rhythmic clanging of metal spatulas against the cooking surface announces its preparation from blocks away.
Each vendor has their own secret spice blend, making this dish slightly different wherever you try it.
Lamprais
This Dutch-influenced dish features rice cooked in meat stock, accompanied by frikkadels (meatballs), seeni sambol (caramelized onion relish), and curries, all wrapped in a banana leaf and baked. The banana leaf imparts a subtle aroma that transforms the flavors inside during the cooking process.
Unwrapping the package releases an irresistible fragrance that heightens the dining experience.
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Pol Sambol (Coconut Relish)
This ubiquitous condiment combines freshly grated coconut, red chili powder, lime juice, and onions. It accompanies almost every Sri Lankan meal, adding freshness and heat to whatever it touches.
The balance of spicy, tangy, and sweet elements makes this simple relish incredibly addictive.
Fish Ambul Thiyal (Sour Fish Curry)
This southern specialty features fish cubes cooked with goraka (a tamarind-like fruit) that gives the dish its characteristic sourness. The preservation technique dates back centuries, originally designed to keep fish edible without refrigeration.
The resulting flavor is deeply savory with a tangy edge that pairs perfectly with plain rice.
Polos (Green Jackfruit Curry)
When cooked in this popular curry, young jackfruit transforms into a meat-like texture, making it a favorite among vegetarians and meat-eaters alike. The fruit absorbs the spices completely, resulting in a hearty and satisfying dish.
Many foreigners mistake this dish for beef upon first tasting it.
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Kukul Mas Curry (Chicken Curry)
Sri Lankan chicken curry differs from its Indian counterpart with its generous use of roasted curry powder and coconut milk. Each family guards their recipe closely, passing it down through generations.
The gravy achieves a perfect balance between heat, sweetness, and depth of flavor.
Wambatu Moju (Eggplant Pickle)
This caramelized eggplant pickle balances sweet, sour, and spicy flavors in perfect harmony. The process involves deep-frying eggplant and then soaking it in a vinegar-based dressing with green chilies and spices.
It keeps for weeks and actually improves in flavor as it ages.
Parippu (Dhal Curry)
This comforting red lentil curry, cooked with coconut milk and spices, is served at almost every Sri Lankan meal. Its creamy consistency provides the perfect complement to spicier dishes.
Even the pickiest eaters tend to enjoy this mild, protein-rich curry.
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Isso Curry (Prawn Curry)
The coastal regions excel at this coconut milk-based curry infused with fenugreek, curry leaves, and plenty of chili. The prawns’ natural sweetness blends perfectly with the aromatic spices.
Locals often include the heads for extra flavor, though visitors can request they be removed.
Gotu Kola Sambol
This refreshing salad combines chopped gotu kola leaves (a medicinal herb) with grated coconut, onions, and lime. The herb offers numerous health benefits while providing a fresh, grassy flavor that cuts through heavier dishes.
Many Sri Lankans consider this a daily health tonic as much as a food.
Pittu
These steamed cylinders of rice flour and coconut resemble couscous in texture and serve as a hearty breakfast or dinner option. Locals traditionally steam pittu in bamboo tubes, giving it a subtle, earthy aroma.
It pairs wonderfully with curries or simply coconut milk and sugar for a sweeter option.
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Kiribath (Milk Rice)
This celebratory dish of rice cooked in coconut milk appears at virtually every special occasion in Sri Lanka. Its simplicity belies its significance in Sri Lankan culture, where it represents prosperity and new beginnings.
The creamy, slightly sweet rice typically comes with spicy sambals to balance the flavors.
Isso Wade
These deep-fried lentil patties topped with prawns make the perfect seaside snack. Street vendors along beaches sell them fresh from bubbling oil, often served with chili sauce and a squeeze of lime.
The contrast between the crispy exterior and soft interior creates an irresistible texture.
Jaffna Crab Curry
The northern specialty features blue swimmer crabs cooked in a fiery curry paste with fennel, fenugreek, and cinnamon. This dish requires eating with your hands to fully appreciate the complex flavors trapped in every crevice of the crab.
The curry itself is worth soaking up with bread or rice after the crab is gone.
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Woodapple Juice
This unusual fruit produces a sweet-and-sour beverage that locals claim aids digestion. The fruit looks like a small coconut but contains a brown pulp that transforms into a refreshing drink when mixed with sugar.
Its distinctive flavor falls somewhere between fermented apple and tamarind with earthy undertones.
Kool
This northern specialty seafood soup contains a fascinating mix of crab, prawns, fish, and vegetable varieties thickened with palmyra root flour. Fishermen originally created the dish using whatever catch remained unsold at day’s end.
The resulting stew offers complex flavors that represent the resourcefulness of coastal communities.
Wattalappam
This spiced custard dessert showcases the Moorish influence on Sri Lankan cuisine with its blend of jaggery (palm sugar), eggs, coconut milk, and cardamom. The caramelized jaggery creates deep toffee notes that complement the subtle spicing.
Its silky texture provides the perfect ending to a spice-laden meal.
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The Flavor Legacy Continues
Sri Lankan cuisine remains relatively unknown to the world outside due to its incredible depth and diversity. These foods are the culmination of centuries of cultural borrowing, adaptation, and innovation by the island’s different communities.
The next time you visit this beautiful island, venture beyond the tourism sites and discover these authentic flavors that tell the history of a nation in its cuisine.
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