Sri Lankan cuisine
Sri Lanka has its own unique dishes and flavors. Sri Lankan cuisine has been blend with Indian, colonial and Arabs for centuries. Local spices such as cardamom, turmeric, black pepper, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon sticks, curry leaves and powder, fresh chilies and garlic are used in cooking. This enormous collection of ingredients makes Sri Lankan dishes unique and delicious
What to eat in Sri Lanka
The Staple food in Sri Lanka is rice and curry, curries are bit chilly but they are delicious. For lunch rice and curries are prepared. Rice can be either red or white with so many varieties. Rice is prepared by boiling with water or coconut milk. When rice is boiled with meat stock it is called lump rice. You will be servered more that 15 dishes of various curries which are made out of meat, fish and vegetables. Curries like Ambul thiyal (sour fish curry made with tuna), Polos (made from young jack fruits) ,popular
mallung (green vegetables are cut in to very small pieces mixed with grated coconut and turmeric and half cooked for preserve the neutrinos) and crispy “papadum” worth of testing. The spicy sambols (grated coconut mixed with inions and red peppers) takes a special place in Sri Lankan dishes. The very simplest one is called “lunu miris” prepared by chopping chili powder, salt, onions and Maldive fish. Normally sambols are very hot, so it is better you try a small amount of this before you put it to mouth.
Another Sri Lankan dish you must tray is “Kottu Roti” which is made by chopped roti, vegetables, eggs and meat or fish as for your choice. Even in a star class hotel you can request for this dish but taste best when made by street vendors.
Although Sri Lankan’s eats rice and curry three times a day in the cities most people used to have a light breakfast such as bread with polsambol, jam or butter, famous string hoppers with dhal curry and polsambol or egg-hoppers etc. Try hoppers or egg-hoppers, string hoppers, kiribath , Roti, Pittu and Vadais you will definitely enjoy the taste.
Desserts
There are many desserts you can enjoy after the meals such as creamy curd with treacle (kitul pani) and watalapan are some of the favorites I would suggest.
Fruits
This tiny island is home to so many different types of mouth watering fruits. Among them pineapple, mangoes, avocado, papaya and many varieties of bananas are very popular even in locals. Among them try mouthwatering “rambutan” which are hairy from outside but sweet and very tasty from inside. Another must try fruits are “Duriyan” and “mangoesteen” Duriyan has a bad smell but taste not compared to any other.
Where to Eat
Food is generally cheap in Sri Lanka. But if you really want to get a cheap meal you can have it in a local café which are confusingly called ‘Hotels’. But to get the real feeling how good Sri Lankan food are you have to find a better place. In Colombo there are excellent restaurants which offer Sri Lankan and other international dishes such as Chinese, Thai, and Italian as well.
Eat Sri Lankan Way
Sri Lankan’s eat with their right hands.This is not a major problem for a visitor, anywhere you will be able to provide cutlery. But try the Sri Lankan way it is harder than you think and it is an art which should practice with patient. You have to use the tips of the fingers of the right hand and food must not go beyond the first knuckle.