A south coast city that offers much to experience, Kalutara is also an ideal destination in Sri Lanka for some culinary adventures. Here are some of the dishes (and a fruit!) to introduce your taste buds to.

Seafood Specialities

 

Image via Turyaa Kalutara

Since this is a city by the sea, there’s a wide array of fresh seafood dishes to try from fish and shrimps to lobsters and crabs which are cooked, grilled or sautéed! Local hotels the likes of Turyaa Kalutara have their own seafood restaurants where you can sample some of these scintillating seafood delights against an ocean backdrop.

Rice and Curry

A perennial favourite throughout the country, rice and curry can be enjoyed at Kalutara restaurants as well. Spicy curries generally feature seafood, chicken, beef, mutton or pork and are usually eaten with dhal, a salad made from “gotu kola” (a kind of herb) and “wambatu moju” (eggplant pickle).

Sour Fish Curry

A special mention should be given to the dish known as “ambul thiyal”; generally made using tuna that has been mixed with a variety of spices, this spicy and sour fish curry has a unique flavour of its own and is an ideal accompaniment to rice.

Juicy Mangosteen

Kalutara is also known for its mangosteen; this rather exotic and purple-hued tropical fruit is delicious indeed and is refreshing too. Inside the soft shell of the fruit, one will find the seeds covered in white edible “flesh” that has a sweet flavour with a tinge of sourness too.