[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":211},["ShallowReactive",2],{"page-en-\u002Fen\u002Fsri-lanka\u002Feten-in-sri-lanka":3,"related-en-\u002Fen\u002Fsri-lanka\u002Feten-in-sri-lanka":144},{"id":4,"title":5,"body":6,"description":123,"extension":124,"meta":125,"navigation":138,"path":139,"publicationDate":130,"seo":140,"sitemap":141,"stem":142,"__hash__":143},"content\u002Fen\u002Fsri-lanka\u002Feten-in-sri-lanka.md","Food in Sri Lanka: dishes and street food you have to try",{"type":7,"value":8,"toc":109},"minimark",[9,13,18,21,25,28,31,35,38,42,45,48,52,55,59,62,66,69,73,76,80,83,87,94,100,106],[10,11,12],"p",{},"If you can't handle sambal or spices, you're going to have a rough time here. For everyone else, this island is a dream. Food costs almost nothing and you can stuff yourself at every street corner. These are the dishes and snacks you can't miss.",[14,15,17],"h2",{"id":16},"kottu-roti","Kottu Roti",[10,19,20],{},"You hear this dish coming from streets away. Kottu roti is made by hacking up pieces of dough, vegetables, egg, and chicken or cheese with two metal blades on an iron griddle. It's an incredible racket, but it's the best comfort food you can get after a long day of traveling or surfing. You can score a solid portion at a local 'Hotel' (that's what they call restaurants there, don't expect a reception desk) for around 1,000 to 1,500 LKR.",[14,22,24],{"id":23},"rice-and-curry","Rice and Curry",[10,26,27],{},"This is not just a plate of rice with some sauce. When you order rice and curry, you get a mound of rice surrounded by four or five small dishes. Think dhal (lentil curry), green beans, pumpkin, chicken, and crispy papadums.",[10,29,30],{},"The sides are almost always different each time, which keeps it varied and is a great way to get a feel for Sri Lankan cuisine.",[14,32,34],{"id":33},"short-eats","Short Eats",[10,36,37],{},"If you're hungry but don't want to sit down for a proper meal, find a Bake House. The display cases are packed with short eats: the collective name for all sorts of fried and baked pastries. Triangular vegetable rotis (which can be seriously spicy), fish rolls (fried rolls with fish and potato), and samosas. They often cost just 100 to 200 LKR each.",[14,39,41],{"id":40},"hoppers-and-string-hoppers","Hoppers and String Hoppers",[10,43,44],{},"Hoppers (Appa) are crispy little pancakes shaped like a bowl, made from fermented rice flour and coconut milk. The best version is the egg hopper, where they simply cook an egg in the center. Eat it with a bit of sambol and you have a top breakfast for under 200 LKR.",[10,46,47],{},"String hoppers are a completely different beast. These are small nests of thin rice noodles that you steam and eat with a thin curry. Perfect for soaking up sauces.",[14,49,51],{"id":50},"devilled-chicken-or-fish","Devilled Chicken or Fish",[10,53,54],{},"On every bar menu you'll see 'Devilled Chicken' or 'Devilled Prawns'. This is the Sri Lankan take on Chinese food, but with a proper kick in the face. A sweet and sour, sticky sauce loaded with big chunks of onion, capsicum, and an absurd amount of chili. Your mouth is on fire, but paired with an ice-cold beer it's absolutely brilliant.",[14,56,58],{"id":57},"kiri-bath","Kiri Bath",[10,60,61],{},"You often get this on the first day of the month or during public holidays, but it's also just on the breakfast menu. It's rice cooked in thick coconut milk until it becomes a sticky cake, cut into diamond shapes. Heavy and pretty bland on its own, but you eat it with Lunu Miris: a bright red paste of ground onion, chili, and salt that immediately fixes the blandness of the milk rice.",[14,63,65],{"id":64},"curd-and-treacle","Curd and Treacle",[10,67,68],{},"Especially in the south, around Tangalle and Yala, you'll see stalls along the road stacked with clay pots. Inside is Mee Kiri, buffalo yogurt. Set aside your Western anxiety about dairy outside the fridge. It's thick, sour, and absolutely delicious, and you get a generous drizzle of Kithul Treacle on top: a dark, sweet syrup made from palm sap. It costs almost nothing and is the perfect ending to a spicy meal.",[14,70,72],{"id":71},"pol-sambol","Pol Sambol",[10,74,75],{},"Not a dish on its own, but you get it with literally everything. Pol sambol is grated coconut mixed with red chili, lime juice, and red onion. Fresh, absurdly spicy, and it makes every plate of rice ten times better. Be careful the first few days though: your digestive system often needs a bit of time to adjust.",[14,77,79],{"id":78},"isso-wade","Isso Wade",[10,81,82],{},"Fried lentil fritters, often with a few shrimp (isso) pressed into or on top of them. In terms of hygiene, it's best not to think too hard about how long those shrimp have been sitting in the blazing sun in a basket. You just hope the boiling hot oil has killed everything questionable. They're greasy, salty, and ideal as a quick beach snack.",[14,84,86],{"id":85},"what-do-you-drink-with-it","What do you drink with it?",[10,88,89,93],{},[90,91,92],"strong",{},"King Coconut (Thambili):"," Along every road you'll see piles of orange coconuts. For around 150 LKR, a man with a machete hacks off the top and sticks in a straw. The ultimate thirst quencher when you've sweated yourself dry, and the best hangover cure there is.",[10,95,96,99],{},[90,97,98],{},"Lion Beer:"," The standard beer. A large 620ml bottle costs around 800 LKR at a local off-license (wine store) or double that at a tourist bar.",[10,101,102,105],{},[90,103,104],{},"Arrack:"," If you really want to go local, order Arrack. A strong spirit made from fermented coconut sap, smells a bit like rum, and best mixed with local ginger beer (EGB). Just watch how much you pour, because the hangover from cheap Arrack is absolutely merciless.",[107,108],"related-articles",{},{"title":110,"searchDepth":111,"depth":111,"links":112},"",2,[113,114,115,116,117,118,119,120,121,122],{"id":16,"depth":111,"text":17},{"id":23,"depth":111,"text":24},{"id":33,"depth":111,"text":34},{"id":40,"depth":111,"text":41},{"id":50,"depth":111,"text":51},{"id":57,"depth":111,"text":58},{"id":64,"depth":111,"text":65},{"id":71,"depth":111,"text":72},{"id":78,"depth":111,"text":79},{"id":85,"depth":111,"text":86},"A no-nonsense guide to eating in Sri Lanka. Which dishes and street food snacks are absolutely unmissable and what they cost.","md",{"headerImage":126,"headerImageAlt":127,"headerText":128,"headerDescription":129,"updatedAt":130,"country":131,"type":132,"activeBreadcrumb":133,"readingTime":134,"tags":135},"photo-1742281095650-dd3c50c08772_gqpied","Sri Lankan dish served on a banana leaf","Food in \u003Cspan>Sri Lanka\u003C\u002Fspan>","Spicy, chaotic, and dirt cheap. These are the dishes you can't skip.","2026-05-25","sri-lanka","food","Food",7,[131,132,136,137],"street-food","budget",true,"\u002Fen\u002Fsri-lanka\u002Feten-in-sri-lanka",{"title":5,"description":123},{"loc":139},"en\u002Fsri-lanka\u002Feten-in-sri-lanka","FVo1H4tUWVPFNH7P4kz1u6qB_45Tzaw2ecCfN7ir5aQ",[145,170,190],{"path":146,"title":147,"description":148,"publicationDate":149,"meta":150,"_score":169,"_type":152},"\u002Fen\u002Fsri-lanka\u002Fduiken-snorkelen-sri-lanka","Diving and snorkeling in Sri Lanka: honest advice for those who know what to expect","Diving in Sri Lanka is not the Maldives. But wrecks, turtles, and sharks are absolutely here. Everything about locations, seasons, and what it costs.","2026-05-26",{"slug":151,"updatedAt":149,"country":131,"type":152,"activeBreadcrumb":153,"readingTime":154,"headerImage":155,"headerImageAlt":156,"headerText":157,"headerDescription":158,"tags":159},"duiken-snorkelen-sri-lanka","practical","Diving & Snorkeling",6,"photo-1743613314253-3884b719c0aa_qbshlk","Turtle underwater in Sri Lanka","Diving and snorkeling in \u003Cspan>Sri Lanka\u003C\u002Fspan>","Don't expect the Maldives. But wrecks, turtles, and sharks are absolutely here. Everything you need to know about diving in Sri Lanka",[131,160,161,162,163,164,165,166,167,168],"diving","snorkeling","wildlife","hikkaduwa","unawatuna","trincomalee","mirissa","kalpitiya","travel-tips",1,{"path":171,"title":172,"description":173,"publicationDate":130,"meta":174,"_score":169,"_type":176},"\u002Fen\u002Fsri-lanka\u002Fwat-te-doen-in-ahangama","What to do in Ahangama: surfing, food and parties on the south coast","Ahangama is the new hotspot on the south coast of Sri Lanka. An honest guide to the best surf spots, restaurants and nightlife.",{"slug":175,"updatedAt":130,"country":131,"type":176,"activeBreadcrumb":177,"readingTime":178,"headerImage":179,"headerImageAlt":180,"headerText":181,"headerDescription":182,"tags":183},"wat-te-doen-in-ahangama","place","Ahangama",5,"photo-1711122870436-18bb64d24f67_ra498u","Coastline and palm trees at Ahangama on the south coast of Sri Lanka","Everything you need to know about \u003Cspan>Ahangama\u003C\u002Fspan>","The new hotspot on the south coast. Surfers, digital nomads and a party almost every night of the week.",[131,184,185,186,187,188,189],"ahangama","surfen","reistips","digital-nomads","eten","feesten",{"path":191,"title":192,"description":193,"publicationDate":194,"meta":195,"_score":169,"_type":201},"\u002Fen\u002Fsri-lanka\u002Fbeste-hostels-in-sri-lanka","Best hostels in Sri Lanka: honest tips from a backpacker","Which hostels in Sri Lanka are actually worth it? Based on personal experience: Ella, Sigiriya, Kandy and Yala. Including what to avoid.","2026-05-16",{"headerImage":196,"headerImageAlt":197,"headerText":198,"headerDescription":199,"slug":200,"updatedAt":194,"country":131,"type":201,"activeBreadcrumb":202,"readingTime":154,"tags":203},"i1fbyoqnf97q2xnvvhlh_irwwg5","Hostel terrace in Sri Lanka with a view of green mountains, best hostels Sri Lanka","Best \u003Cspan>hostels\u003C\u002Fspan> in Sri Lanka","Based on personal experience and stories from people I met along the way.","beste-hostels-in-sri-lanka","accommodation","Best hostels",[131,204,205,206,186,207,208,209,210],"accommodatie","hostels","backpacken","ella","sigiriya","kandy","yala",1780999735405]