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Top 10 foods to try in Sri Lanka

by: Plamena Valyanova

Sri Lanka is one of the places on earth where besides an astounding biodiversity you can enjoy a wide range of mouth-watering traditional and international dishes. The island is an absolute treasure when it comes to restaurants and diners serving flavour explosions. You don’t need to be an epicure to appreciate that horn of culinary plenty but even if you are, you are surely to be impressed. See below top 10 foods to try in Sri Lanka.

Signature Dishes

Quite typically for the South-Asian region, rice is the key ingredient for Sri Lanka’s signature dishes. It never comes alone though and is almost always accompanied by any of the numerous piquant curry variations characteristics of the region. Being extremely rich in spices, the curries tingle your palate and make you crave for more.

Among the most popular rice and curry combinations is unquestionably the dhal curry, or parippu. Red lentils are cooked with a mix of tomatoes, green peppers and onions infused and sautéed with a delicious spice blend, including turmeric, curry leaves, fenugreek and cumin seeds.

Next in line come the traditional sour fish curry, locally called fish ambul thiyal. The fish used for the dish is most often tuna or a substitute of the same dimensions, chopped into cubes and cooked with garlic, pepper, cinnamon, curry leaves and turmeric until the sauce dries up and the fish chunks are saturated with the aroma of the spices. What gives the meal its unique pungency is a tiny fruit growing in Southeast Asia – the goraka, or brindleberry.

We cannot fail to mention the traditional chicken curry, the” kukul mas” curry, which is the most versatile curry recipe depending on the region it is prepared in. it always employs an array of spices like turmeric, lemongrass, curry and chilli powder, as well as coconut milk which gives the dish its creamy texture.

Yummy rice and curry with dhal, chicken curry  and other traditional cuisines  (credit: Instagram)

Kottu rotti is the islanders’ version of fast food – an enticing fusion of fried thin bread crumbs served with various meat or vegetarian fillings, light spices and curry sauce. Do not hesitate to try it if you ever find yourself wandering the town streets in the middle of the day or early evening – it’s tasty, nourishing and, above all, is prepared in no time.

Although you might expect to be able to enjoy these local delights virtually everywhere, you should really choose your dining options carefully in order to indulge in both good food and pleasant overall experience. One of the restaurants with rich menus and a wide variety of traditional dishes is Upali’s, located right in the heart of Colombo. It not only offers affordable culinary excellence but does so in an ambient atmosphere with service that leaves little to be desired.

Foreign Influence

The best thing about Sri Lanka is that it is a country of cherished traditions and heritage, and eyes wide open to the rest of the world. Many local dishes are influenced in some way or another by the cultures of foreign presence through the decades, especially by that of the Dutch colonists.

The most widely cherished among those dishes is the lamprais whose roots originate in the Dutch Burgher Community. Today it is one of the most favoured meals even by the locals. In essence, it is a steamed banana leaf filled with rice, meat or soya, eggplant, sambol and eggs, seasoned with a delicious mix of cinnamon and cardamom.

Seafood

Seafood, lots of seafood – seafood everywhere! The generous Indian Ocean is the island’s unremitting source of culinary delight. Apart from the traditional Sri Lankan cuisine, seafood dishes are an absolute must when you indulge yourself in gourmet pleasure. Tuna, shrimp, lobster, crab – you name it! From the capital of Sri Lanka, Colombo, to the smallest of towns, restaurants serve fantastic seafood meals at prices you will hardly find anywhere else in the world. To put it simply, your beer has a good chance of costing more than a handsome platter of calamari. So order and order big, because you will be licking your fingers and thinking about your lunch long after you’ve left the table.

Desserts

If you spend a little time on the island, you will notice that Sri Lankans have their own way of cooking pretty much everything, including famous international desserts like pancakes. Their hoppers are made of coconut milk dough and can be served with both sweet and sour filling. Even if you have a sweet tooth, act bold and try a traditional egg hopper spiced with lemon juice, onion sambol and chillies – you will be both surprised and delighted.

Although its taste is not exclusively sweet, the unique wood apple is worth consideration after your meal in the form of a tempting smoothie. Its taste has a sweet note but bears a closer resemblance to the blue cheese flavour.

You just can’t miss out on trying all traditional Sri Lankan desserts and a great way to do this is by setting you pick on a buffet-style restaurant where you can eat as much as you can take or have a tasting of various dishes just for the culinary sake. Raja Bojun in Colombo, for example, offers just that. At the cost of chump change you can try all kinds of local cuisine, fresh seafood and of course, yummy desserts.

The best thing about Sri Lankan cuisine is that it is extremely affordable. You can go on and enjoy yourself without worrying about the prices, which is in itself a great-time guarantee!

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