10 Sri Lankan foods are unable to forget – Part 1

Sri Lanka is a small island nation in the Indian Ocean, but its cuisine is anything but small. Sri Lankan food is a feast of flavors, colors, and textures, influenced by the country’s rich history, diverse culture, and tropical climate. Whether you are looking for spicy curries, crispy snacks, sweet desserts, or refreshing drinks, Sri Lanka has something to offer for every palate and mood. In this article, we will introduce you to some of the best dishes from Sri Lanka, and what makes them so unique and delicious. 

Here are 10 Sri Lankan foods you need to try on your trip to this beguiling isle.

1. Egg hoppers

Traditionally eaten at breakfast, the savoury, bowl-shaped Sri Lankan take on pancakes are delicious any time. They’re made from a batter of fermented rice flour, coconut milk, coconut water and a sprinkling of sugar, that’s cooked in a small, high-sided wok-like pan. An egg is broken into it while it cooks and it’s served with a spicy sambol.

Egg hoppers

2. Sambol

The classic side dish, sambols are fresh and often fiery, chunky sauces, usually made with a stone pestle and mortar. Pol sambol is a mix of finely grated coconut, dried red chillies, red onion, lime juice and a dash of Maldive fish, or cured tuna.

Other perennial favourites include sweet and sour seeni sambol, made with caramelised onion, and sharp and spicy lunu miris, a flavoursome fusion of onions and red hot chillies.

Sambol

3. Vegetable curry

The archetypal Sri Lankan meal consists of a mini-banquet of fragrant seasonal curries, each one bursting with flavour. You’ll spot the British influence in curries featuring potatoes, carrots and pumpkin, but more exotic varieties include meaty-textured young jackfruit, long okra-like drumsticks and bitter gourd, which resemble lumpy cucumbers. Always served with rice – white, brown or red – Sri Lankans prefer to eat it with their fingers.

Vegetable Curry

4. Gotu Kola Kanda

Part soup, part herbal porridge, this nutritious green concoction is Sri Lanka’s age-old natural answer to a sugar-filled energy drink. Made from wild leafy greens – including medicinal herb gotu kola and hathawariya, part of the asparagus family – and rice, it’s believed to have many health-giving properties, including aiding digestion, reducing cholesterol and boosting the immune system.

5. Crab

Seafood plays a major role in the country’s diet, and Sri Lanka’s lagoon crabs are justly famous the world over for their succulent sweet meat. Colombo’s Ministry of Crab – which makes a regular appearance on Asia’s best restaurant lists – celebrates this iconic crustacean. The catch of the day comes in a range of sizes, from half a kilo to the whopping two-kilo Crabzilla, in time-honoured recipes, including chilli crab, pepper crab and curry crab.

Seafood is a major role in Sri Lanka's diet