Sri Lanka has always been one of the world's favourite tourist destinations. Known for pristine beaches, delicious food, beautiful people and rich culture, the island has attracted visitors from all corners of the globe.
Yet undiscovered is Sri Lankas natural inclination toward veganism. While veganism itself is a brand new concept to the people of Sri Lanka, the country is a hidden gem in terms of veganism. Its secret is that much of their traditional food is vegan.
Sri Lankan Vegan Food
Unlike in other countries, one does not have to look far to find delicious, flavourful vegan food in Sri Lanka. The staple meal here is rice served with a range of colourful vegetable curries. These curries are accompanied by greens and pickles to create an all round delicious vegan meal.
Sri Lankan curries are made using thick coconut milk which makes them vegan by nature. Every street shop will by default have a wide range of vegan food you can try provided you stick to their local delicacies. Travelling to the beautiful island of Sri Lanka means you do not always have to be on edge about communication barriers because if you do your research, you can have vegan food throughout your trip without having to explain yourself for the most part.
Exotic Fruit
Every street corner is decorated with colourful tropical fruit making it an absolute paradise for vegans. Tropical fruit is served as dessert along with your traditional meal. Sri Lanka has fruits that you have never heard of before and the excitement of getting to try these unique strange but delicious offerings alone will make your trip.
Bananas are a crowd favourite among vegans but in Sri Lanka, you will experience bananas like you have never experienced before. They come in a variety of different sizes, colour and flavours. Sri Lanka has red bananas!
Sri Lankan Traditional Sweets
In addition to rice and curry, which is usually served at lunch, the country has a range of traditional vegan sweets. Kavum, a delicious fried oil cake, kokis - derived from the word cookies - a crunchy slightly savoury delight adored by all and dodol - a jelly like dessert made of jaggery and coconut milk. In addition, you will get to taste Asmi, Aluwa, Mung Kavum - protein packed dessert made of mung beans, pani walalu and athi rasa. While these are all traditionally vegan sweets, it might be a good idea to double check just in case someone tried to add their own unique spin on the traditional recipe.
Sri Lankan Breakfasts
A popular breakfast in Sri Lanka is Kiribath - directly translated to “Milk Rice” - but here’s the kicker, the milk used is coconut milk which makes it the perfect vegan breakfast. It is rich, flavourful and filling. It is often paired with a spicy, intense onion ‘sambol’ called ‘lunu miris’ which may and may not be vegan - always check. Other traditional accidentally-vegan breakfasts include coconut roti, thosai - a tamil delicacy, pittu, string hoppers, and wade.
String hoppers are a stringy pancakes that are served with a spiced coconut gravy and coconut sambol - a tangy mix of grated coconut and spice. We can guarantee that you have never tasted anything like it.
Sri Lankan Culture
Sri Lankan food is no doubt an experience of it’s own but that isn’t all the country has to offer. The country is rich with history and culture of over two thousand five hundred years. The city of Kandy is home to the Temple of the Tooth, where the relic of the Lord Buddha’s tooth lies. The architecture of the temple is like nothing you have ever seen before with elements of history written in to every beam of wood. It tells a story of ancient Sri Lanka, it’s kings and stories of royalty that are woven in to it’s exquisite architecture.
Anuradhpura, Polonnaruwa and Jaffna are other cities that tells stories of ancient Sri Lanka through it’s buildings, architecture and relics. However, it is not just the buildings and statues that tells stories of Sri Lankan culture - it’s people too are an integral part of what makes Sri Lanka unique. Sri Lanka is home to Sinhalese, Tamil, Burgher and Malay communities among others and each of them bring a special part to what makes Sri Lanka incredible.
If you are looking for a destination for your next vegan holiday, we would recommend this beautiful island rich with culture, history and of course, most importantly, vegan food.
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