What is the traditional daily food of Sri Lankan people?

Sri Lankans, in day-to-day life, eat “rice and curry” as the traditional food. It is an aromatic, punchy, quite heavily spiced staple. You get a big portion of steamed rice and it comes with a main protein curry, usually fish, chicken, or dhal which are lentils.

For a normal day meal there is always also an array of vegetable extras and fresh green leaf salads called mallum, plus spicy condiments such as coconut sambol. The local cuisine leans hard on coconut milk, native spices, and curry leaves, so it feels unusually rich and mostly free of dairy.