Sri Lanka's cuisine mainly consists of boiled or steamed rice served with curry. Another well-known rice dish is Kiribath, meaning "milk rice." Curries in Sri Lanka are not just limited to meat- or fish-based dishes, there are also vegetable and even fruit curries. A typical Sri Lankan meal consists of a "main curry" (fish, chicken, beef, pork or mutton), as well as several other curries made with vegetable and lentils. Side-dishes include pickles, chutneys and "sambols". The most famous of these is the coconut sambol, made of ground coconut mixed with chillies, dried Maldive fish and lime juice. This is ground to a paste and eaten with rice, as it gives zest to the meal and is believed to increase appetite.
In addition to sambols, Sri Lankans eat "mallung", chopped leaves mixed with grated coconut and red onions. Coconut milk is found in most Sri Lankan dishes to give the cuisine its unique flavor.

Sweets

A well-known sweet is "Kavun", a cake made with rice flour and treacle and deep-fried to a golden brown. A variety of "Kavun", called "Moong Kavun" is made from green gram - a type of pulse - which is then ground to a paste and shaped like diamonds before frying. Many sweets are served during the Sinhala and Tamil New Year with "kiribath". Most Sweets eaten by Sri Lankans have been adopted from Tamil Nadu (South Indian), for example Pongal.
"Wattalapan" - a steamed pudding made with coconut milk, eggs, and jaggery (a sort of solidified treacle extracted from the kitul palm) has become a staple Sri Lankan dessert, although first introduced by the Malays.

• Athiranha
• Aggala

Short eats

"Short eats" refers to a variety of snacks that are bought and eaten by the dozen from shops and restaurants. Short eats include pastries, Chinese rolls and patties. The most popular Short Eat is the Mutton Roll, which is tender pieces of mutton with potato and seasoned with spices. This can be very hot and is served all over the world, where the Sri Lankan Tamil population is vast.

Other Short Eats:

• Vada
• Kesari
• Fish Cutlets
• Chinese Rolls (Fish Rolls)

Koththu, or Koththu Roti is a Sri Lankan dish, made from a Sri Lankan roti called "Godhamba Roti" and vegetables, egg, or meat, and various spices. A hot koththu is generally eaten as a dinner meal. The common varieties include beef or chicken, with egg and vegetable Kothus available for vegetarians.