Dishes worth visiting Sri Lanka for – A truly unforgettable gastronomic experience

This dish (or dishes) is most definitely the country's national dish and a staple in a Sri Lankan's daily diet. This meal includes rice, either white or red, and curry – different combinations each time. There's usually always a protein like chicken or fish, a vegetable curry, a gram curry and fresh sambol. If you are vegetarian/ vegan, you will not have to worry as Sri Lankan curries are inherently vegan. Rice and curry is commonly eaten by hand in Sri Lanka.

This dish is a delicacy that you mustn't miss out! This is one of the greatest fusion dishes to exist and was created by the Dutch settlers on the island several years ago. A packet of lamprais includes rice, a meat curry, aubergine, seeni sambol and frikadeller meatballs. There are, of course, modified versions of lamprais, but what makes it special is that the contents are wrapped in a banana leaf and steamed to perfection.

A street food staple, kottu roti is loved immensely by locals and tourists alike – and with your first bite in to kottu, you'll know why. The best part about this adored dish is that it can be heard being made from several blocks away! Kottu consists of cut up rotti, vegetables, chicken and spices – cooked on a griddle making a noise that will stay with you! There are different variations of kottu as well, and you're sure to find this at any Sri Lankan restaurant, both in Sri Lanka and even abroad.

The best way to describe a hopper is that it's a little like pancakes, but million times better! Hoppers are usually eaten with a gravy and a spicy sambol made fresh. Not necessarily a heavy dish, you are sure to find room in yourself to eat more than one. There's also egg hoppers – another local favourite that you must not miss, with an egg, sunny side up, in the very centre of the hopper!

Sri Lankans love their short eats! When a local is in need of a quick snack, they go into a bakery and grab a few short eats, such as fish buns, pies, and rolls, wade and so on! Short eats are a fusion from the British and Dutch colonial era, and to this day, is a huge favourite and is more of a snack than an entire dish. You're likely to find this at most Tangalle restaurants and bakeries.

Sri Lankans do love their rice, and Kiribath is a special type of rice that is cooked with thick coconut milk and served during auspicious times. The coconut rice makes the rice creamy and rich, helping it form a sticky consistency. The best part about kiribath is that it can be eaten sweet or savoury, with curries and lunu miris! This is sure to be served at breakfast at many hotels, such as Anantara Peace Haven Tangalle Resort.