5 Mouth Watering Dishes To Try in Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan food is reminiscent of South Indian food with some added island personality. Sri Lanka isn’t called ‘Spice Island’ for nothing – every dish you try will have a certain dose of spice, from just a little to a whole lot. From breakfast to dinner, every dish in Sri Lanka is a party for your taste buds. Read on to discover our 5 favourite dishes worth travelling to Sri Lanka for.

* Rice and curry

Sri Lanka’s national dish is definitely rice and curry. Every meal that includes rice and curry is a hit to the senses and it can be different each time. The usual suspects that come along with steamed rice are one protein curry, like chicken or fish, a vegetable curry, a gram curry, like chickpeas of green gram and a fresh sambol, like gotukola or passion fruit leaves sambol. Rice and curry dishes are commonly eaten by hand.

* Jackfruit curry

There are many types of curry to try in Sri Lanka, but some are more memorable than others. Jackfruit curry is pretty special because when you eat it, you can’t really tell you are eating jackfruit and the flavour is spectacular. This is a great curry for vegetarians if they like eating food that resembles meat but isn’t. Apart from jackfruit curry, there are other fruit curries, like mango or banana, worth trying.

* Beetroot curry

Vegetable curries are also quite varied in Sri Lanka. Just like fruit curries, there are some that stand out more than others – like beetroot curry. Sweet, savoury, spicy, a little crunchy and all around amazing, Sri Lankan beetroot curry is like no other and it’s a must try.

* Dhal curry

Sri Lankans make curries out of anything and they know what they are doing! But the most ‘comfort food’ style curry of all is dhal curry. This creamy, spicy and slightly orange goodness will have you licking your fingers. Dhal curry is made of split orange lentils and is mostly eaten at breakfast, although you might find it on the table during any meal.

* Lamprais

One of the greatest fusion dishes in Sri Lanka is lamprais. The ancestors of the original Dutch settlers created this great one deal meal that is still eaten every day by hundreds of Sri Lankans. Rice and curry wrapped up in a banana leaf and steamed to perfection are what lamprais are all about.