Sri Lankan Superfoods You Should Be Eating But Aren’t (Yet)

Acai, spirulina, and matcha may dominate Instagram’s wellness aesthetic, but Sri Lanka has long housed its own arsenal of nutrient-dense, healing ingredients - often growing wild, cooked at home, or used in traditional Ayurvedic medicine. These aren’t fads. They’re functional, indigenous, and vastly under appreciated.

Here are seven Lankan superfoods that deserve global attention - and a place on your plate.

1. Gotu Kola (Centella Asiatica)

Often found in local mallung (chopped greens salad), gotu kola is rich in flavonoids and triterpenoids, which support brain health, reduce inflammation, and promote skin regeneration. It’s been used for centuries to enhance memory and wound healing and is even gaining recognition in the nootropic space.

While it’s typically eaten raw with coconut and lime, it’s also being infused into herbal drinks and cold-pressed juices. In Sri Lanka, nearly every home garden grows it, often unassumingly among the curry leaves and chillies.

2. Kenda (Herbal Gruel)

Kenda is an ancient, medicinal porridge that is both warming and detoxifying. Made from rice or red rice flour and infused with a rotating mix of herbs - such as polpala (Aerva lanata), iramusu (Hemidesmus indicus), and hathawariya (Asparagus racemosus) - kenda supports liver function, improves digestion, and boosts iron absorption. Traditionally consumed by pregnant women, the sick, or those recovering from fatigue, it’s making a quiet comeback in wellness circles as a gut-friendly elixir.

Slightly fermented, it also delivers prebiotics in its natural form.

3. Kollu (Horse Gram)

Kollu is a powerhouse legume that’s been sidelined for decades but is finally being recognised for its high protein content, iron density, and its fat-burning, metabolism-boosting benefits. Often slow-cooked into spicy broths or dry-roasted and ground into flour, kollu has been used in Ayurveda to treat respiratory issues, high cholesterol, and even obesity.

It’s low on the glycemic index, making it ideal for diabetic-friendly meals, and its nutty flavour is now showing up in energy bars and protein mixes from new-age Sri Lankan wellness brands.

4. Jak (Jackfruit) in All Forms

Jackfruit is more than a vegan meat substitute - it’s a fully edible tree of abundance. Young, green jackfruit mimics shredded meat and is increasingly featured in plant-based menus worldwide. Ripe jackfruit is sweet, fibrous, and rich in potassium and vitamin A. The seeds are protein-rich and often roasted or turned into flour, while jackfruit flour itself is now used as a gluten-free alternative. In Sri Lanka, nothing goes to waste: the leaves feed livestock, the latex is used for traditional glue, and the tree itself is revered for its resilience. It’s perhaps the most versatile, climate-resilient food crop on the island.

Deliciously sweet Jackfruit

5. Thambun Hodi (Sour Leaf Broth)

More than just soup, thambun hodi is a pre-meal digestive tonic rooted in Ayurvedic food sequencing. It typically uses souring agents like tamarind or goraka, combined with wild greens such as pathpadagam (Mollugo cerviana), gotukola, or ranawara (Cassia auriculata). The broth is mineral-rich, slightly tangy, and taken in small portions before meals to awaken the appetite, cleanse the gut, and gently hydrate.

This sour-bitter combo is key to balancing pitta and kapha doshas in Ayurveda, especially in warmer climates. Some chefs are now modernising it into amuse-bouches or sipping tonics.

6. Polpala (Aerva Lanata)

This unassuming roadside weed is a powerhouse kidney cleanser. Long used in traditional herbal medicine to treat urinary tract infections, stones, and fluid retention, polpala is now being studied for its antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. Typically brewed as a tea, it has a mild, grassy flavour and is taken either warm or chilled.

As urban dwellers turn to herbal hydration and functional beverages, polpala is gaining cult status in Colombo’s niche cafés and Ayurveda stores. It also features in many post-Panchakarma rehydration regimens.

7. Wood Apple (Limonia acidissima)

Wood apple - or divul in Sinhala - is a pungent, gritty fruit with a cult following. Packed with vitamin C, pectin, and digestive enzymes, it’s often eaten raw with sugar and salt or churned into probiotic curds and smoothies. It’s particularly good for digestion and gut health and is often given to children with stomach complaints. The fruit ferments easily, making it ideal for pickles and chutneys, while its hard shell is sometimes repurposed as bowls or decorative containers. It’s not for everyone on first taste, but those who grow up with it swear by its healing properties.

Where to Find Them

These superfoods are not difficult to source - once you know where to look:

• Traditional kitchens across the island, where elders still cook with native ingredients

• Farmers markets in Colombo (Good Market), Kandy, and the Southern Coast

• Ayurvedic restaurants and wellness resorts, where curated meals integrate these into daily menus

• Herbal apothecaries and organic retailers like Saaraketha, Green Path, and Urban Island

• Home gardens, where many of these grow wild or semi-cultivated — and are shared freely

  
  

Sri Lanka’s superfoods aren’t manufactured. They’re inherited. These ingredients are part of the island’s culinary memory, often passed down by grandmothers, village healers, and farmers - not laboratories. In a global moment where wellness is moving toward the local, seasonal, and sustainable, these underused heroes are ready for rediscovery.