Food of Sri Lanka
Sri Lankan food is rich in coconut, fresh curry leaves, pandan and a distinct toasted curry powder. Meals revolve around rice and an assortment of curries, with sambols (zesty relishes) like pol sambol, and seafood is plentiful along the coast. Street snacks such as kottu and short eats, plus hoppers and string hoppers, are everyday staples, and ceylon tea is a source of national pride.
Rice and curry
Rice with an array of curries: dal, vegetables, fish and sambol.
- Main dishes (8)
- Breakfast (4)
- Street food (4)
- Soups (1)
- Salads (1)
- Desserts and sweets (6)
- Drinks (3)
- Fruits and produce (9)
Staples
- rice
- coconut
- fish
- jackfruit
- lentils
- cassava
- curry leaves
Signature flavors
- cinnamon
- curry leaves
- pandan
- cardamom
- cloves
- goraka
- maldive fish
Main dishes
Rice with an array of curries: dal, vegetables, fish and sambol.
Key ingredients: rice, dal, fish curry, vegetable curries, sambol
Chopped flatbread stir-fried with egg, vegetables and spices on a griddle.
Key ingredients: godamba roti, egg, vegetables, chicken, curry sauceFull guide →
Rice baked in banana leaf with curry, frikkadel and sambol.
Key ingredients: rice, meat curry, frikkadel, banana leaf, sambolSour dry fish curry with goraka.
Key ingredients: tuna, goraka, black pepper, garlic, curry leaves
Red lentil curry with coconut milk.
Key ingredients: red lentils, coconut milk, turmeric, curry leaves
Sri Lankan style roasted-curry-powder chicken.
Key ingredients: chicken, curry powder, coconut milk, cinnamon
Young jackfruit curry.
Key ingredients: young jackfruit, coconut, spices
Milk rice cut in diamonds, served with lunu miris.
Key ingredients: rice, coconut milk, saltFull guide →Breakfast
Bowl-shaped fermented rice and coconut pancakes, often with egg.
Key ingredients: rice flour, coconut milk, yeast, eggFull guide →
Steamed nests of rice noodles served with curry.
Key ingredients: rice flour, water, coconut sambol
Steamed cylinders of rice flour and coconut.
Key ingredients: rice flour, coconut, saltHerbal porridge.
Key ingredients: rice, herbs, coconut milkStreet food
Chopped roti stir-fry.
Key ingredients: roti, egg, vegetables, spicesFull guide →Prawn lentil fritters.
Key ingredients: prawns, lentil dough, curry leaves, onion
Spiced fish and potato croquette.
Key ingredients: tuna, potato, chili, breadcrumbsSpiced pickled fruit.
Key ingredients: fruit, chili, salt, sugarSoups
Tangy pepper broth.
Key ingredients: tamarind, pepper, tomatoSalads
Fresh gotu kola salad with coconut.
Key ingredients: gotu kola, coconut, lime, chiliDesserts and sweets
Coconut custard with jaggery and cardamom.
Key ingredients: coconut milk, jaggery, egg, cardamom, nutmeg
Fried sweet rice and treacle cakes.
Key ingredients: rice flour, treacle, oil
Crispy rice flour cookies.
Key ingredients: rice flour, coconut milk, oil
Rice flour sweets.
Key ingredients: rice flour, sugar, cashews
Buffalo curd with kithul treacle.
Key ingredients: buffalo curd, kithul treacle
Cashew and semolina cake.
Key ingredients: semolina, cashew, honey, rose waterDrinks
World-famous black tea.
Key ingredients: tea leaves, hot water, milk
Orange coconut water.
Key ingredients: king coconutJuice of wood apple.
Key ingredients: wood apple, sugar, waterFruits and produce
Karthakolomban mangoes.
Key ingredients: fresh, chutneyFull guide →
Ripe jackfruit (waraka) and young (polos).
Key ingredients: curry, freshFull guide →
Fresh papaya.
Key ingredients: fresh, juiceFull guide →
Red hairy fruits.
Key ingredients: freshFull guide →
Sweet pineapple.
Key ingredients: fresh, juiceFull guide →
Many varieties including kolikuttu.
Key ingredients: fresh, curry
Fresh and grated, used daily.
Key ingredients: milk, sambol
True Ceylon cinnamon.
Key ingredients: tea, curries, desserts
Purple fruit.
Key ingredients: freshFull guide →Dish guides from Sri Lanka
More cuisines of Southern Asia
Descriptions written by Intercontinental Chef. Dishes are listed as commonly eaten today; many are shared across neighbouring countries.
- Chicken Kottu: Dan arndt, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Lamprais (2): Dan arndt, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- 3 types of lentil: User:Justinc, CC BY-SA 2.5 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Sri Lankan Rice and Curry: Lankan Foodie, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- The jackfruit is holding on to the tree: This work was made by Tushar Hossain and released under the license(s) stated below. Please feel free to use it for any, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Kiribath: AntanO, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Appam - அப்பம்: VinPrasad, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Idiyappam with Egg Masala Curry: Viewfinder18, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Puttu (Rice Flour steamed cake): Mathew Jibin, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- A tray of Italian-American style chicken cutlets: Gatorfan252525, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Centella asiatica (থানকুনি) (3): Shahidul Hasan Roman, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Watalappan-Sri Lanka: Ji-Elle, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Konda Kavum 01: Chamal N, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Kokis: Chamal N, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Aluwa: Dan arndt, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Curd in a traditional Manipuri earthen pot: Goumisao, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Love Cake: Dan arndt, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Ceylon Pettiagalla Tea: Brigade Piron, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- තැඹිලි විකිනීම: Singhalawap, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Mangos - single and halved: Ivar Leidus, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Carica papaya - Köhler–s Medizinal-Pflanzen-029: Franz Eugen Köhler, Köhler's Medizinal-Pflanzen, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)
- Buds on branch of rambutan tree: DXLINH, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- കൈതച്ചക്ക: Suniltg at Malayalam Wikipedia, CC BY 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- 14-QWSTION-BANANATEX-STRIPPING-LAUSCHSICHT: BANANATEX, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Cocos nucifera - Köhler–s Medizinal-Pflanzen-187: Franz Eugen Köhler, Köhler's Medizinal-Pflanzen, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)
- Cinnamomum verum spices: Simon A. Eugster, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Berthe Hoola van Nooten48: Berthe Hoola van Nooten (1817-1892), Pieter De Pannemaeker (lithographer), Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)
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