Sri Lanka is blessed with an abundance of fruits, vegetables, and spices, which ensure every dish, meal, and drink is packed with flavour and joy-inducing delight.
The country’s rich fertile lands, endless sun, humidity, and heavy monsoonal rainfalls conspire to create the ideal growing conditions for a range of beautiful tropical fruits and vegetables, such as mangosteen, rambutan, wood apple, ambarella, snake gourd, and cooking melon, as well as heady spices like cinnamon, black pepper, and cardamom.
Tea and coconuts are some of the country’s biggest exports, both grown in abundance and utilised within the country too. The cooler climate of Hill Country towns like Ella, Haputale, Hatton, and Nurawa Eliya provide not only a welcome respite from the sticky streets of Colombo but also the chance to witness hard-grafting tea pickers at work, while pretty much everywhere else in the country you’ll witness a variety of palm trees sway in unison producing delicious Thæmbili (king coconut) as well as tall and dwarf coconut varieties too.
With so many beautiful ingredients on offer, as well as national dishes like kothu, rice and curry, lamprais, and the sweet dessert known as Watalappam, there’s no wonder Sri Lanka is one of the best foodie destinations in the world, here are the must-try food and drinks for when visiting this hypnotic country.
Must-try food and drink in Sri Lanka
Bread from the ‘choon paan’
Anyone who’s spent a significant amount of time in Sri Lanka will be familiar with the comforting sound of the ‘choon paan’, the bakery tuktuks that whizz around the whole of the country playing Beethoven's Für Elise and selling a plethora of freshly baked goods, from fish buns and iced doughnuts to one of the best baked items on the island, the humble loaf of Sri Lankan bread. Light as a cloud and delicious with pol sambol (coconut relish) and lots of butter, these white bread loaves also taste amazing when roasted and served alongside chicken curry.
Buffolo Curd
Sri Lanka is known for its herds of domestic and wild buffalos, many of which roam around the country’s famed national parks besides elephants and leopards, so it makes sense that Sri Lanka utilises the milk, turning it into a tangy, slightly sour but delicious curd. Cured in clay pots, curd is mostly served as a dessert in Sri Lanka and often served alongside kithul treacle.
Hoppers
Available as regular or string versions, hoppers are made with a fermented rice flour and coconut milk batter that’s cooked in bowl shaped frying pan over a gas flame to create a savoury type of thin crepe that’s ideal for breakfast. Many people like to have an egg cooked into the base of their hoppers and enjoy the morish dish served with fish curry and pol sambol. The string variety uses rice flour dough pressed through holes to create rice noodles that are steamed and also served with pol sambol and a variety of curries.
Gal Siyabala
Endemic to Sri Lanka and sometimes called tamarind pebbles, these sweet and sour fruits often evoke feelings of childhood nostalgia since many Sri Lankans grew up shelling and eating the velvety fruits. With an inedible crisp outer casing, the inside is soft, sweet, and sour all in one.
Beetroot curry with red rice
Sri Lanka is known for rice and curry with a range of variations sold daily at street-side stalls, rooftop buffets and everything in between. The staple dish tastes best when it’s homecooked so don’t turn down a dinner invitation if you’re lucky enough to receive one. Beetroot curry is almost always on the menu and tastes divine when mixed with red rice, dahl curry, pol sambol and green bean curry - don’t miss it.
Thæmbili (King coconut)
Available from roadside stalls pretty much all over the country, a yellow king coconut is a must-try when in Sri Lanka. As one of the most refreshing drinks on a hot day, king coconuts grow in abundance all over the island and are not only delicious and affordable, but they’re also really healthy since they’re packed full of essential vitamins, minerals, and electrolytes.
Crab curry
Some of the best crab curry you’ll ever eat will be in Sri Lanka’s northern Jaffna region, but if you’re not heading up to the country’s northernmost point it’s worth heading to Colombo’s Ministry of Crab for a delicious take on the famed crab curry. A variety of dishes appeal mostly to tourists but you won’t be disappointed by the flavorsome mud crabs served with roast paan and plenty of spices.
Arrack
Made from the fermented sap of coconut and palmyra flowers, arrack is Sri Lanka’s tipple of choice, mostly enjoyed neat with just a splash of room temperature water. To try it for yourself, hit a selection of local Colombo bars with Soulful Sri Lanka or discover brilliant arrack blended cocktails at hip bars Smoke & Bitters, Galle’s Ropewalk, Jungle Kadé or Zephyr Ceylon.
Lamprais
Wrapped up and steamed in a banana leaf, Lamprais consists of rice cooked in stock, a variety of sambols and curries, often a cutlet and boiled egg. Easy to pick up for lunch or dinner from good street-side vendors, these delightful parcels originate from the Dutch Burgher community of Sri Lanka.
Isso vade
When in Colombo don’t miss a trip down to Galle Face Green to pick up bitesize fried lentil fritters topped with prawns. Known as isso vade, the bites are a key part of Sri Lankan culture, on weekends you’ll often spy families enjoying vade as the sun sets with plenty of kids flying kites.
Pumpkin curry
Pumpkin is a staple in Sri Lankan cooking and is often made into a delicious curry alongside coconut milk and fragrant curry leaves and served alongside various other curry variations with rice. Sold in supermarkets, on roadside stalls, and in markets, this versatile vegetable can be picked up year-round.
Papaya juice
Grown in abundance throughout the country, papaya is not only delicious but full of nutrients and one of the best foods to boost your immune system. Papaya juice is sold throughout the country from north to south but be sure to ask for no added sugar as some stalls have a tendency to add a heap.
Pol Sambol
One of Sri Lanka’s most delicious condiments, pol sambol is a traditional Sri Lankan accompaniment made from fresh coconut, chili, lime juice, onions, and a touch of salt. It can be served alongside pretty much anything but goes well with curry and rice as well as hoppers. Sour, spicy, and super satisfying, it’s a must-try dish when in the country.
Soursop
This heart-shaped green spiky fruit is available year-round and is sometimes called custard apple. Its sweet-sour creamy flesh is an acquired taste, it sometimes has a slight blue-cheese tang but it’s full of nutrients and tastes amazing when blended into smoothies or as an ice cream.
Kothu
One of Sri Lanka’s national dishes, kothu uses leftover roti sliced into strips, fried and mixed with egg, vegetables, meat, chilli and spices. Chances are you’ll hear a kothu shop before you see it since the noise of chopping the roti and mixing it with the vegetables on the metal grills is loud and unmistakable.
Falooda
With origins in Persia, falooda is super popular in both Sri Lanka and India where the rose-coloured cooling drink can often be found in sweetmeat shops. The sweet blend of ice cream, rose syrup, vermicelli, jelly, and milk is best sampled at Colombo’s Bombay Sweetmeat Mart close to one of the world’s prettiest temples, JamiUl-Alfar Mosque, or at countrywide chain store Rio Ice Cream.
Pol roti
Often served for breakfast alongside curry, pol roti is a small flat coconut bread that also contains chili and onions for texture and added flavour. Roadside stalls sell piles of the tasty bread that is best enjoyed warm. Try one as a snack if you miss them at breakfast time.
Watalappam
This delicious sweet dessert is made from coconut milk, jaggery, eggs, cashews, and Sri Lankan spices and can be bought almost everywhere from supermarkets to bakeries. Believed to have been brought to the country by Sri Lankan Malays, the creamy, comforting dessert is now a firm staple on Sri Lanka’s food scene and is a must-try when visiting the country.
Kiribath with lunu miris
This traditional breakfast dish harnesses the sweetness and saltiness of coconut rice and works well with the spicy chili sambol known as lunu miris. Often served in diamond or square shapes the dish is pretty auspicious, traditionally being served on the first day of each month or for new beginnings, such as the first day of school or a new job.
Wood apple
During September, October, and November piles upon piles of wood apples pop up along roadsides all over Sri Lanka. These curious fruits with an extremely hard shell have an acquired taste that has been described as creamy, sweet, sour, and tangy. The pulpy interior can be eaten as it is or even better blended into a juice or smoothie.
Bananas
While you can pick up a banana in most countries, Sri Lanka’s bananas are some of the most flavoursome in the world. Boasting over 29 varieties, from kolikuttu and seeni to ash plantain and puwalu it’s easy to sample a wide array of Sri Lanka’s bananas since they’re sold all over the country and are super affordable.
Dahl
Comforting, wholesome, warming and fragrant, Sri Lankan dahl is pretty much served at every meal. The blend of lentils, garlic, coconut milk, and curry leaves is so popular, it’s without a doubt a stalwart in every Sri Lankan home.
Ranbutan
Popular across Asia, Sri Lanka produces colossal amounts of rambutans each season, which runs from around May to July. The spiky red fruits can be picked up from roadside stalls where mountains of the delicious gems await to be picked up by passing customers.
Iced milo
Nothing beats an ice-cold, ice cream-topped milo on a sticky hot day in Sri Lanka. While you can buy a cold milo prepacked from stores and supermarkets, we recommend heading to one of Colombo’s late-night food joints such as Hotel de Plaza for an iced milo you won’t forget in a hurry.
Mangosteen
Perhaps one of the tastiest fruits in Sri Lanka and available from May through September, the humble mangosteen delights with its zingy soft centre split into segments. Like most fruits grown in Sri Lanka, it’s possible to buy them from roadside stalls across the country during the season.
Pol Pani
These coconut-stuffed thin pancakes are served rolled up, often alongside black tea. Coconut is used in so many of Sri Lanka’s most delicious dishes and pol pani is no exception with the scraps of coconuts being utilised in an innovative way that’s truly delicious.
Lime Soda
Nothing beats a fresh lime soda on a hot day, which is why the simple drink is loved across the entire island. A blend of soda and fresh lime juice, it often comes with a sugar syrup for added sweetness, but we like it as it is: sour, tangy, and refreshing.
Jackfruit
All over the island, it’s possible to spy the gravity-defying jackfruit hanging close to the trunks of jackfruit trees and chances are you’ll smell the colossal fruit before you see it, especially when ripe since it gives off an unmistakable smell. It’s delicious when eaten fresh and ripe, or cooked into curry it’s equally delightful. A staple in Sri Lankan cooking, don’t miss both iterations when you’re visiting Sri Lanka.
Ambarella Curry
Most Sri Lankan families with a garden might have an ambarella bush growing and it’s the bush's ripe yellow fruits that provide the base for the tart and sweet ambarella curry. Served with rice, chutneys, and a selection of other curry dishes such as dahl and pumpkin curry, this meal is one of the most comforting.
Jaggery and tea
Also known as kithul jaggery, Sri Lankan jaggery is made from the sap of the fishtail palm that grows in abundance in the northern provinces of the country. The natural sweetener can be used in tea or desserts but can also be eaten as is and taste delicious with a glass of beautiful Sri Lankan black tea.
Kimbula Banis
Kimbula is the word for crocodile in Sinhala, and so these sweet bread buns - often found being sold by Sri Lanka’s joyous Choon paans - look like crocodiles which is how they got their name. The twisted bun is topped with sugar and makes for the perfect afternoon treat.
Cutlets
Filled with young jackfruit or fish, Sri Lankan cutlets sometimes come served with curry and rice but more often than not can be picked up as a snack from street side vendors. With various fillings coated in breadcrumbs and then deep fried, these little balls of joy are seriously addictive.
