Meals while going on Sri Lanka Tour.

 Meals while traveling in Sri Lanka.

Visiting Sri Lanka to tour in a bus, car, jeep or motorbike don’t worry you can get vegetarian, vegan and non-vegetarian dishes are available all over the island at good restaurants and hotels. On the road you may come to places that serve different kind of dishes that are suitable foreign visitors. Some are star class hotels where you can expect to get full course meal (lunch or dinner) as European, Italian, Japanese, Indian, Chinese or Mongolian dishes. But in the remote areas of Sri Lanka, you must have good knowledge of the places where they serve good meals or you must follow your guide to find one for you to have god dishes. Some places serve nice Buffet style dining and European dishes while most of them provide Sri Lanka dishes which usually used to contain curry stuff that may be hot for some people. In the Sri Lanka meals, white or red rice served as main dish along with meat, chicken, fish and vegetable as curries. These curries are made basically with coconut milk and chili powder. The coconut milk when cooked perfectly, it will let out oil to make the dish tastier. In these curries, green chilies, fresh spices like pepper, coriander, Cinnamon, Clove, Ginger, Lemon grass, Nutmeg, mace, Cardamom, Turmeric and many other locally produced spices.

Mean while cities like Colombo, Jaffna, Kandy, Galle and other important ones used to offer International brand Pizzas, Burghers, Fried Chicken and other popular meals with the same European and American standard and prices.

You may find yellow rice which is made by adding colors. Also you can find Buriyani, fried rice and red steamed rice which is little hard to eat although it is accepted by Sri Lanka people for its nutritional value.

Guides like Dayan Chinthaka (chinthaka3624@gmail.com) knows each and every corner of the country and as per his experience he knows nearly all the hot spots that are serving delicious nutritional dishes 24 hours a day. Official website: www.ceylontusker.com

In larger towns you can find many hotels that are offering Buffet, BBQ and baked foods. Pizza Hut, Domino, McDonald and KFC can be found near to big malls and inside of the malls. You can buy cool mineral water in plastic bottles, Coca Cola, Pepsi and local bottled soft drinks in any place. Popular local soft drink is Ginger-beer that used to be consumed by the people along with their lunch or dinner. Nearly all the small shops used to sell fresh young king coconut with full of sweet water that can reduce your thirsty. They will cut the top part and provide it with a straw to drink it. If you find white color coating in side of it - after drinking it, give it to the vendor who will cut it in to two pieces, you can eat that young coconut flesh which is also very tasty. No extra charge for that service.

If you are vegetarian Sri Lanka is the ideal place for your meals. There are varieties of fresh vegetables available that can be served as salad and cooked dishes. As a tropical island there are lot of local fresh fruits available in the market along with imported Apple, Orange, Grapes, Pears, and other fruits that you may like to eat. You can find nearly 16 varieties of banana's including the red banana. Popular seasonal fruits are Mangoes, Rambutan, Mangosteen, watermelon, Jack fruit, Dragon fruit and Annanas.

There are many liquor shops, bars, hotels and restaurants that provide local and foreign brands. Beer can be purchased in glass bottles (local brew) and canned ones that are local and imported ones.
Watch out consuming alcohol in public places and near to religious places are legally prohibited one.
Every month there falls a Buddhist Holy day which is called as "POYA DAY" and on this day no one will not sale or serve meat products and alcohol and it is prohibited by the local law. Don't visit any religious shrines under the influence of liquor.

The best food you can have in the evening is hoppers. In Sinhala Aappa and in Tamil Appam. This can be served hot on roadside restaurants.Hoppers can be ordered as plain (just the ingredients only - rice flour and coconut milk) with "Kata sambol" where this sambol is very hot as it is made with red chilies, salt and onions.Always insist to make new ones for you while you are watching.
 In any shop you can order hoppers with egg, or coconut milk or sweet kitul jaggery placed in the center. Some of these hoppers are enough to go as dinner.

Food prices are not expensive here in Sri Lanka when compared to European countries.
Of course one of the top 10 Most Expensive Dessert is available in Sri Lanka.
The Fortress Stilt Fisherman Indulgence priced at US $14,500
http://www.toptenz.net/top-10-most-expensive-desserts.php

See some of the dishes that are available during your tour in the remote areas.

Spicy Chicken Dish.

Below image.
Local favorite dish "Koththu Rotti" It consists of rotti with egg, carrot, leaks, onion. You can request to add roasted chicken or curry chicken or beef or cheese in it. These ingredients will be placed on a thick hot plate and will be chopped to get them all to be mixed together. You can request for vegetable, fish or cheese only to be included in the koththu dish.

Koththu rotti in another restaurant.
 


 Sri Lankan Fried Rice with egg, chicken or meat as the main ingredient in it.

Every where they provide fork and knife for you to have your meals. Also you can eat with your fingers like the locals after thoroughly washing your hands with soap. Important use your right hand fingers to have your food.
                                                One foreign Tourist trying the method.