Sri Lanka is home to a distinctive cuisine and the country’s streets are filled with stalls and restaurants that serve some of the most interesting and delicious comfort food.

Image by ALPHA of Plain roti – Rich Maha (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Egg Hoppers

Hoppers are an easy to eat Sri Lankan Staple that is basically a pancake bowl served with eggs and hot chilli sambal. A typical egg hopper has a crunchy exterior and the bottom is soft and gooey with the partially cooked egg.

Pol Roti

Pol Roti is the Sri Lankan version of flatbread that is made with scraped coconuts, flour, water and salt. This dish is also eaten with sambols or chutneys. You can find this dish at many restaurants scattered around Sri Lanka the likes of Rare at Residence which is a restaurant that lets you enjoy fine dining in Colombo.

Short Eats

The Term Short eats in Sri Lanka means an assortment of snacks that are eaten almost at any time of the day; you can have these savoury treats at almost all the hotels in the country. The variety of food served as short eats range from deep fried Chinese rolls along with many other fried goodies to perfectly baked buns with savoury potato and fish fillings.

Kottu Roti

It is very hard to end this list without mentioning Kottu Roti, It is by far the most loved street food of Sri Lankans. It is made from thinly cut strips of Gothamba Roti, finely chopped vegetables, egg and your choice of meat with a lot of spices and gravy.