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Jaffna’s Culinary Experience

While the southern region of Sri Lanka gets most of the credit for its lip-smacking cuisine, the cuisine of Jaffna certainly should not be ignored, as it introduces unique ingredients and flavours to the palette. From street food to three course meals, you can be assured of a culinary experience that tingles your senses.

❂ Useful Tips:

  • Always come prepared when traversing the streets of Jaffna, as it can get hot and humid very fast.
  • Some of the food may be too spicy for your liking. It is best to check with your waiter before ordering certain dishes.

Jaffna Crab and Prawn Curry

Jaffna is home to several simple eateries specialising in their home cuisine. While a lot of them are great, restaurants that are famed for their legendary Paratha roti accompanied by Jaffna Crab or Prawn Curry are the Green Grass Restaurant, Cosy Restaurant and Mangos. Located in the heart of the city, the small eateries are ideal for family-friendly dining. The curries in Jaffna are rather spicy, but full of flavour. Be prepared to sweat a bit if you are not used to hot spices, but don’t miss out on these delectable dishes.

Jaffna Market

Located just a few hundred metres from Hotel Rolex is the colourful and vibrant Jaffna Market. Within its confines lie fresh produce, spices and condiments that you may not find anywhere else in the country. While at the market, make sure you try the little snacks sold by the street vendors. They may look similar to those found in the south of the country, but they taste different.

Ice Cream

One thing that the people of Jaffna cannot get enough of is their ice cream! The city is filled with ice cream parlours famed for whipping up some sweet sundaes on a hot day, accompanied by fresh and dried fruits and varied flavours of jelly. Rio Ice Cream and Lingan Ice Cream parlours are noted to be the best in the city.