Is it easy to find strictly vegetarian food outside of major cities.

Sri Lanka is actually a fantastic destination for vegetarians, but you are right to be cautious about hidden ingredients.

The classic Sri Lankan meal is Rice and Curry. This consists of rice served with multiple small vegetable curries (dhal, pumpkin, beetroot, beans). Most of these vegetable curries are naturally vegan, cooked in coconut milk.

However, the hidden trap is "Maldive fish" (umbalakada). These are dried, cured tuna flakes used as a seasoning in many vegetable dishes, sambols (like pol sambol), and mallum.

To ensure your food is strictly vegetarian, you must explicitly say: "No meat, no fish, no dried fish, no Maldive fish." In Sinhala, you can say: "Malu nethuwa, mas nethuwa, karawala nethuwa, umbalakada nethuwa."

Another excellent and perfectly safe option is South Indian restaurants (often called "Saiva Bawan" or pure vegetarian restaurants). You will find these in every town. They serve dosas, idli, and thali, and they are 100 percent meat and fish free by religious definition.