Yulia Saf 
Having been to Sri Lanka for 3 weeks, I climbed – everything – I could. Besides that, certainly I did not miss a chance to try a good variety of its traditional food! And I tell you that – Sri Lankan cuisine is strongly influenced by its colonial past and its proximity to India.
If you are going to Sri Lanka, or just want to know what is their food like, this post is going to be useful for you!
I made a selection of all the must eats you should dig into while on Ceylon island!
Hope you have eaten already, as many yummy pictures are about to flood your screen..
Ok, let’s go! 🙂
EAT
Let’s start from the best well-known dishes:
Roti
A very popular everywhere in Sri Lanka. Actually, you will find many variations of roti (also spelled as “rotti” or “roty”) in all over South East Asia. Roti in Sri Lanka is a wheat flour flat bread. Roti can be plain (left picture) or it can have various fillings (right) like egg roti or chicken roti. Yum!
Kottu roti
I simply love this one! Kottu (Kothu) is basically a shredded roti with vegetables, meat and spices. This dish is usually eaten for dinner and can be vegetarian and you can find it throughout the whole island.
When you order it, please make sure you sit somewhere close to the cook so that you can see and hear how it is made. You see, it is cooked on hot iron sheets and each cook has his own unique way of shredding the roti. The whole process gets loud and the cooks are pretty much creating their own, very specific music at the same time. Worth seeing!
Rice and curry
I haven’t even imagined before I went to Sri Lanka how many types of curry there are out there!
I personally don’t like spicy food, but a few variations of curry are just amazing here!
What you should not miss out on is going to a cooking class! It is often organized by hotels, often free of charge (well, you will be charged for the dinner, but not for the lesson).
I participated in one of those and I have to say it was one of the most interesting things I have done in Sri Lanka! It’s not something dedicated just to cuisine lovers; anyone can enjoy it. During the class you get to see the process of processing the curry and it’s interactive, you get real hands on experience!
Short eats
If you are going to Sri Lanka you have absolutely no excuse not to try the street food they sell in food kiosks!
This particular one in the photo below is just 10 LKR (less than 10 cents) a piece. But they are all generally very cheap, at most 50 rupees a piece. Ask what they contain – usually it’s mashed vegetables, eggs, fish, everything with spices of course. My personal favorite is samosa (it’s the fried triangle on the picture) which is originally an Indian snack, but it’s very popular in Sri Lanka, too.
One cool thing about these people is that even though they don’t really recycle in Sri Lanka, they still find a way to reuse the paper! Check it out, I really appreciated that!
String hoppers
String hoppers are some kind of twisted noodles made of rice (white or red) flour. The dish also comes served with different types of curries and is eaten for breakfast and dinner.
Sea food
You can (and should!) try the absolutely great seafood! You can find it anywhere near beach areas in Sri Lanka.
There are numerous vendors who sell freshly caught fish right on the beach. The most popular ones are Tiger prawns, Red snapper, crabs, lobsters etc.
You can buy it and bring the fish to the restaurant or just order it normally. The price is around 2000 LKR (12€ (15$) for a full fish. Delicious!
By the way, take into consideration that all restaurants, even the simplest ones will charge you an obligatory 10% service fee.
DRINK
Being in Sri Lanka and not trying the real Ceylon tea would be a pity. Do that while enjoying the view on tea plantations feeling yourself like in those old colonial times.
Sri Lanka doesn’t have many traditional alcoholic drinks. The only one I know of is Arrack – made out of coconut flower after a long distillation process and flavored, spiced or infused with herbs. It is quite strong (but less than 40%) and can be drank with Coke. If of good quality, and it won’t give you a headache the next morning.
It would be a mistake not to mention the local Sri Lanka beer – it is called Lion and it is not bad actually! 😛
| 💰 Restaurant prices: | Medium |
| 🍽️ Dinner for 2: | $10-15 |
| 💵 Tipping: | 10% |
| 🥟 Traditional food: | Roti, Kottu |
| 🦞 Must try food: | Tiger prawns, Red snapper, crabs, lobsters |
| 🍻 Best local beer: | Lion |
| ☕ Best hot drink: | Ceylon tea |
Conclusion:
Sri Lanka’s cuisine is similar to Indian’s (Kerala region) and Tamil’s. Spicy fried food prevails. Roti and kottu roti are the most well-known dishes. Different types of short eats are also available everywhere.
P.S. For picky people like me, Sri Lankan cuisine can be a bit too spicy. Even if you tell them “Not spicy” it will still be a bit. But it is a part of the authentic experience and I enjoyed it a lot!
Have a nice meal!
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If you have any questions regarding prices/types of food or any other info, just leave a comment, I am here to help!
Yulia
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Samosa is really an Indian snack but pan rolls fish or meat triangular buns are authentic Sri Lankan snacks
Thanks for your information I am travelling to SL in April look forward to trying out all the seafood
Hey Colleen,
Thank you for that insight, we’ve made sure to mention it in the article. I hope that you have an amazing time in SL! You’re in for a treat with all the delicious seafood waiting for you there.
Hi, yulia, good job,, very nice program that you put in,
As a Sri lankan I’m proud of you, please keep it up, Is there anything do you want to know about Sri Lanka i will support to you, I’m a National tour Guide Licence holder in sri Lanka,, please feel free, i will help you,,
Thank you, God bless you,,
Thanks, Ruwan!
Aww!! Pics are amazing!! I can’t take my eyes off from food!! Thanks for your information…
Hi,
I’m going to Sri Lanka in June 2018
For 9 days. Plann
Thanks for the info! Where is the photo of you drinking coffee with a book taken?
Enjoyed reading your blog. Very interesting. Keep it going. How do you like it if you are reading it on the computer. I couldn’t find the Like icon.
Thanks so much!
You can like my page on Facebook or Instagram where I post the latest updates from my life and my blog! 🙂
great blog about srilanka many thnaks
I hope to visit Sri Lanka for my holidays. What are the places that you recommend me to visit , I just have 7 days.
I have quite many posts with some good tips about Sri Lanka – all of them can be found here
If you want to sip a cup of tea remember to place your order as plain tea because in Sri Lanka if you asked for a tea they will give you a cup of milk tea 🙂
Hi,
I’m going to Sri Lanka in december.
Do you have any nice advices about guesthouses? Where did you take your first picture for ex?
Thanks 🙂
Arrack made out of coconut flower after a long distillation process. 1st stage is toddy. Secondly it can be flavored or spiced or infused with herbs but not directly made from herbs.
Thank you for the extra info, we’ve added it in the article too!