Kandy’s culinary traditions draw on the hill country’s abundant fresh produce, river fish, and the spices grown in the surrounding lowlands. The cooler climate at Kandy’s elevation (approximately 465 metres) supports a wider range of vegetables than the coastal lowlands, including leafy greens used in the traditional green-leaf tempered dishes characteristic of the Central Province. Freshwater fish from the Mahaweli and other highland rivers, including the large indigenous Mahseer, appear in local fish preparations.
Authentic Kandyan cooking is centred on rice and multiple accompaniments: jackfruit curry (a popular vegetarian option using young green jackfruit), green bean tempered with coconut, beetroot curry, gotukola sambol (a fresh relish of centella pennywort with grated coconut and lime), and the distinctive black curry â chicken or pork prepared with a dark-roasted whole-spice paste producing a smoky, deeply flavoured result. Devilled preparations â a Sri Lankan-evolved technique of stir-frying meat or seafood with onion, tomato, and green chilli in a sweet-sour-spicy sauce â are served across Kandy and are as characteristic of local restaurant cooking as the more traditional rice and curry format.
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