WHAT'S COOKING?

A celebration of Sri Lanka’s vibrant plant-based culinary heritage! Hosted by SLYCAN Trust and Meatless Monday Sri Lanka, Plant-Based Gastronomy: Culinary Heritage & Tourism in Sri Lanka brings together flavours, stories, and ideas that show how food can be both climate-friendly and deeply rooted in tradition. From local ingredients to global goals, the reception highlights how Sri Lanka’s traditional cuisine drives sustainability, entrepreneurship, and ethical tourism.

destinations

Sigiriya

Set against one of Sri Lanka’s most iconic landscapes, Sigiriya offers more than heritage and wildlife. The surrounding villages showcase traditional food practices, with plant-based dishes rooted in local agriculture, seasonal produce, and long-standing culinary knowledge.

Ella

Nestled in the hill country, Ella attracts visitors with its views, cooler climate, and relaxed atmosphere. Its food scene reflects this mix, with cafés and restaurants offering both Sri Lankan and fusion plant-based dishes using locally sourced ingredients.

Hiriketiya

A picturesque bay on Sri Lanka’s southern coast, Hiriketiya, blends surf culture with a laid-back café scene. From smoothie bowls to hopper variations and kirala drinks, the area offers a growing mix of plant-based options shaped by both local ingredients and global influences.

Arugam Bay

Known for its surf breaks and seasonal buzz, Arugam Bay in Sri Lanka’s east coast, brings together travellers, local flavours, and coastal food culture. Alongside rice and curry and street-side snacks, plant-based dishes are emerging through cafés and small eateries experimenting with fresh, locally sourced ingredients.

Colombo

As Sri Lanka's bustling commercial capital, Colombo is where culinary traditions meet urban innovation. Across its neighbourhoods, from Pettah's lively markets to the café strips of Colombo 7, plant-based eating has found a growing audience, with restaurants and home-grown brands reimagining local staples like dhal, mallum, and fresh coconut in creative, contemporary ways.

Galle

A historic port city on Sri Lanka's southwestern tip, Galle weaves colonial heritage with a thriving contemporary food scene. Within the fort walls and beyond, cafés and restaurants draw on the region's coastal bounty, offering plant-based dishes that balance Sri Lankan tradition with modern influences, from jackfruit curries to tropical fruit preparations and coconut-forward flavours rooted in the south.

Jaffna

Distinct in culture, language, and cuisine, Jaffna in Sri Lanka's far north offers one of the island's most unique food experiences. The region's plant-based cooking is deeply rooted in Tamil culinary tradition, making generous use of palmyra, raw mango, and bold spicing, a flavour profile unlike anywhere else in Sri Lanka, and one increasingly drawing food-curious visitors to the peninsula.

Plant-based Gastronomy