Sri Lankan food is intense, aromatic, and deeply comforting. It’s built around rice, coconut, spices, and tradition — not presentation. Meals are meant to be shared, eaten with your hands, and enjoyed slowly. These are ten dishes that truly define Sri Lanka and that you should absolutely try when you’re there.
1. Rice and Curry
This is the heart of Sri Lankan cuisine. A plate of rice surrounded by multiple small curries — vegetables, lentils, sambol, sometimes fish or chicken. Every place does it differently, and that’s exactly the beauty. It’s spicy, layered, and never boring. If you eat only one thing in Sri Lanka, make it rice and curry.
2. Kottu Roti
Kottu roti is Sri Lanka’s ultimate street food. Chopped flatbread stir-fried with vegetables, egg, spices, and often chicken or beef. You hear it before you see it — the metal blades hitting the hot plate rhythmically. Loud, greasy, comforting, and absolutely addictive.
3. Hoppers (Appa)
Hoppers are bowl-shaped pancakes made from fermented rice flour and coconut milk. Crispy edges, soft center. Often eaten for breakfast or dinner. Try egg hoppers with sambol — simple, light, and uniquely Sri Lankan.
4. String Hoppers (Idiyappam)
These delicate rice noodles are usually served with coconut sambol and curry. They look simple but soak up flavour beautifully. Often eaten in the morning, but also common for dinner.
5. Pol Sambol
A fiery coconut relish made with grated coconut, chili, lime, and onion. It’s served with almost everything — bread, rice, hoppers. Fresh, spicy, and full of flavour. Once you try it, you’ll want it with every meal.
6. Fish Ambul Thiyal
This is one of Sri Lanka’s most traditional fish dishes. Sour, spicy, and deeply flavourful. The fish is cooked with goraka (a sour fruit) and spices until it’s almost dry. Bold and unforgettable, especially along the coast.
7. Lamprais
A Dutch-influenced dish that has become fully Sri Lankan. Rice, meat curry, sambol, and accompaniments wrapped in a banana leaf and baked. Rich, fragrant, and filling. Often eaten on special occasions.
8. Coconut Roti
Flatbread made with grated coconut and flour, cooked on a hot plate. Served with curry or sambol. Simple, rustic, and incredibly satisfying — especially when it’s fresh and warm.
9. Sri Lankan Crab Curry
If you like seafood, this is a must. Crab cooked in a thick, spicy curry with coconut milk and spices. Messy to eat, but absolutely worth it. Coastal Sri Lanka does this exceptionally well.
10. Curd and Treacle
A classic Sri Lankan dessert. Thick buffalo curd topped with sweet palm treacle. Cooling, creamy, and the perfect ending to a spicy meal. Simple and traditional.
