Biryanis Fragrant basmati rice cooked with plenty
of turmeric, garlic and cardamom, often with
chunks of chicken or lamb.
Vegetable Dishes
Mallung Slightly like a tabbouleh, this salad
combines chopped local greens (such as kale),
shredded coconut and onion.
Jackfruit curry The world’s biggest fruit com-
bines beautifully with rich curry sauces, as its
flesh actually has quite a meaty texture.
Breads
Bakeries are common throughout the
country, but can be disappointing.
Rotti Thick flatbreads cooked on a hot plate and
served with sweet or savoury filling.
Kotthu Chopped rotti fried with vegetables and/
or egg, cheese or meat on a hot plate. Try Hotel De
Pilawoos (p77) in Colombo.
Uttapam A Tamil speciality, this thick pancake
is prepared with onion, chillies, peppers and
vegetables.
Seafood
Jaffna crab Recipes vary but in the north tama-
rind and coconut are key ingredients to bring out
the flavour of this unique dish.
Ambulthiyal This fish curry is a southern special-
ity, made with goraka, a fruit which gives it a sour
flavour.
Condiments
Pol sambol Shredded coconut, lime juice, red
onions, chilli and spices.Lunu miris Red onions, salt, chilli powder, lime
juice and dried fish.Desserts & Sweets
Wattalappam (vattalappam in Tamil) A coconut
milk and egg pudding with jaggery and cardamom.Pittu Steamed in bamboo, these cylindrical cakes
are made from flour and coconut.
Curd Slightly sour cream that tastes like natural
yoghurt; it’s served drizzled with kitul treacle
made from raw palm sugar.
Pani pol A small pancake made with a sweet top-
ping of cinnamon and cardamom-infused jaggery.
Bolo fiado A layered cake said to have been first
introduced by the Portuguese.How to Eat
Where to Eat
Compared with most Asia countries, Sri
Lanka is quite unusual in that most locals
prefer to eat at home. Things are differ-
ent in beach resorts and the capital but in
many towns there are actually very few
restaurants, or even street food stalls. See
p306 for the price ranges used throughout
this guide.
Accommodation You’ll usually eat breakfast in
your hotel. Evening meals are often available too,RICE & CURRY
The national dish, Sri Lankan rice and curry is a complex, intricately spiced array
of individual vegetable (and often meat and fish) dishes, served with rice. Chutneys
and sambol (a condiment made from ingredients pounded with chilli) add heat and
additional flavour. Pappadoms are usually present too.
Virtually all Sri Lankan curries are based on coconut milk and a blend of spices:
chilli, turmeric, cinnamon, cardamom, coriander, rampe (pandanus leaves), curry
leaves, mustard and tamarind. Dried fish is also frequently used to season dishes.
As you’re travelling around the country, you’re likely to pull over at many a local
restaurant for a rice and curry feed. Some of the best places are simple family-
owned roadside restaurants with a selection of around five to 10 individual dishes
(mainly vegetarian but there’s usually a meat or fish option too).
Many restaurants only serve rice and curry at lunchtime. Guesthouses will often
prepare it for dinner but you’ll need to order it early in the day and leave the cooks to
work their magic.PLAN YOUR TRIP
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& D
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