A traditional Sri Lankan plate might have five or six curries on it at once: dhal (yellow lentils), a green leaf curry, a pumpkin curry, a coconut sambol (a fiery side made of coconut, chilli and lime), and a crunchy pappadam (a thin crispy disc, a bit like a giant crisp). All for one person.
Sri Lankan curries get their colour and warmth from the island's own spices - curry leaves (a leaf used like bay leaf, but more lemony), cinnamon, cardamom, chilli, mustard seed, and roasted coconut. Most are made with coconut milk, which makes them creamy and slightly sweet.
Many Sri Lankans eat with their right hand. You scoop up a little rice and a little curry with your fingers, mix them together in your palm, and pop it into your mouth. Eating with your hand is said to let you 'taste' the temperature and texture before you taste the flavour.
Other favourite Sri Lankan dishes include 'hoppers' (a bowl-shaped pancake made of rice flour and coconut, often with an egg fried into the middle) and 'kottu' (chopped flatbread mixed with vegetables and curry, made on a hot metal plate with two big choppers that go clack-clack-clack like drumsticks).