Being a big time foodie, I thought it was about time for this post! I have a confession though, although the title
says 10 foods to try, I’ve got 12! In my defense, there are so many super tasty
things to eat here, it was difficult to shorten the list any more.
Before we begin, you should know that there
are loads of amazing things to try when you visit Sri Lanka. This list of Sri
Lankan [ish] foods consists of my personal favourites and they are in no particular
order.
1) The obvious – Rice and Curry
There is no way that you would miss out on
this staple meal while in Sri Lanka. Rice is a huge part of our history and
culture. ‘Rice and Curry’ is a very broad title as there are so many different varieties
and variations of dishes, whether they be rice, vegetables, sea food or meat.
‘Parrippu’ which you might know as dhal or lentils, chicken curry and fish
‘ambul thiyal’ are a few of my long list of favourites…
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| Rice and Curry |
2) Hoppers
Hoppers could be either egg or plain, and
for me, the crispier the better! It’s most often eaten with curries and ‘seeni
sambol’ or ‘katta sambol’ or if you’re someone like my mom, you’d probably have
hoppers with butter and treacle or juggery as well!
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| Egg and plain hoppers |
3) String Hoppers
Aside from its name and the fact that you
eat it with curries, string hoppers have nothing in common with hoppers! It’s
another one of my dinner time favourites.
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| A plate of string hoppers, parippu and pol sambol |
4) Koththu Roti
Koththu is a Sri Lankan modification of ‘Godamba’
Roti, where it’s sliced and diced [to a catchy beat] and mixed with veggies and
meat. Tasty, a café-restaurant has some really good [and not too spicy]
koththu… or you could try the cheese koththu at Pilawoos. It’s the best after a
big boozing night. The best part is that it’s open all night! Approach it with
caution though; it’s only for those whose stomachs can handle it!
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| Chicken Koththu |
5) Sri Lankan Chinese food
Yes, there is something like that! It
doesn’t taste a thing like the food you will eat in China… But, that doesn’t
mean that it’s any less of a mouth-watering culinary experience. Try the Hot
Butter Cuttlefish… it’s crispy and delicious and ideal for a drink time snack
as well!
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| Hot Butter Cuttlefish at the Chinese Dragon Cafe |
6) Pani Pol Pancakes
Another brilliant modification of food from
another culture! Pani pol translates to treacle-coconut. These are delicious
thin pancake rolls stuffed with a fried mixture of treacle and grated coconut.
It tastes as good as it sounds!
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| A fresh batch of PPP's! |
7) Sea Food
Being an island, Sri Lanka is famous for its
seafood, which is not as expensive as it is in other countries. Whether it’s
curried, grilled, baked or fried; crab, prawn, cuttlefish or fish; it’s bound
to be the meal you will spend the longest time eating! Try The Manhattan Fish
Market or The Lagoon for some really good seafood. Or, if you want a place that’s
slightly cheaper and not as fancy, Beach Wadiya is a popular amongst
travellers. If you’ve got your eye on crab and crab alone, I’d recommend The
Ministry of Crab or the The Fat Crab which is slightly cheaper.
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| My mom's homemade crab curry! |
8) Festival Food
These goodies come out during festivals and
other important functions and occasions and are usually set on a decorated
table alongside other traditional foods such as milk rice. The most common ones
are kavum, mung kavum and kokis.
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| Kokis |
9) Chips or ‘crisps’ if you’re British!
And no, not the potato kind… these are far
better. You should definitely try Manyokka Chips while in Sri Lanka. It’s made
out of Cassava or Maniyok. You could find packs in supermarkets, or buy some
from a street vendor; the chances are that it will be tastier if you do so!
Another type of chip that is a ‘must try’ are Del Chips which are made from
breadfruit. It’s not available all year round… and I don’t actually know where
you can buy them [someone should really get on that!]. It’s usually homemade, but
if they are in season, I could fry some for you!
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| Fried and spiced to perfection! |
10) Short eats
I actually had to google and check if ‘short
eats’ was the word that was used globally to describe this type of food… and it
wasn’t! Shorts eats are a variety of tea time like snacks which are usually pastries
and rolls etc. Check out Jehanr’s harlem shake video with Sri Lankan short
eats!
11) Devilled Chicken… or fish… or anything,
really!
It’s a popular and kind of spicy bite that’s
often had during ‘drinking sessions’.
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| Devilled Pork |
12) Lamprais or lumprice!
This is something amaziag that was left
behind by the Dutch from when they had Sri Lanka as a colony. It’s a wonderful
meal, wrapped in a banana leaf. In my opinion, you can find the best Lamprais at
The Dutch Burgher Union, The Dutch Grocer, Fab and Green Cabin.
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| A Lumprais pack |
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| The inside of a Lumprais pack |
Don’t limit yourself to just this list though,
because I had to cut it down. Try everything that comes your way!
“If you reject the food, ignore the
customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay at home”
– James Michener
