Rice fields surrounding Kalundewa Retreat in Sri Lanka

If you truly want to understand the culinary identity and heritage of Sri Lanka, that gorgeous teardrop isle in the Indian Ocean, then trace a sumptuous edible trail through its landscapes on a private tailor made luxury holiday with Ayu in the Wild. As you journey from 12 degrees in the hills to 32 degrees on the beach, in a matter of just three and a half hours you will experience an explosion of diverse local flavours spiced by the lives of intertwined growers, farmers, harvesters and a deeper understanding of these produce.

Here are five utterly Sri Lankan flavor experiences you shouldn't miss on this ‘Flavour Island’.

1

Lunching on Heirloom Rice Farms

It’s no secret but Ayu in the Wild Holidays has its favourite nooks in Sri Lanka on our private customized trips. The open air Rice Field restaurant at the uber stylish Kalundewa Retreat overlooks paddy fields and wetlands, a dizzying canvas of greens, muddy brown edges dotted by the wild wetlands. These lands produce almost 85% of the produce used by the kitchens including yams, root vegetables, fruits and herbs but mainly rice. The fields are laden with traditional heirloom varieties of rice, the same grains that once nourished the royal families, armies and giants of Royal Kingdoms that make up the Sri Lanka Cultural Triangle.

Join the local farmers for a Ambula, which is a traditional Sinhalese word for a nutritious mid-day meal eaten by farmers in the fields. Appreciate the textures of different grains of endemic rice, a little less polished, a little less sweet but a lot more nourishing, while chatting about the intricate art of traditional and sustainable rice farming. Kalundewa Retreat is a Member of the Sustainable Travel Sri Lanka Initiative - founded by Ayu in the Wild.

Learn to make a Sri Lankan Coconut Sambol on a Gourmet in the Wild experience

2

Farm to Table Experience

In unheard of corners across Sri Lanka where wild elephants roam, the founders of Ayu in the Wild have curated some amazing farm to table moments for our guests. Amidst community families farming fields of onions, tomatoes and, chillies and even mangoes, learn to make this Sri Lankan (and worldwide) hit coconut sambol, with steaming hot flatbreads! Using stone grinders (move away jet blenders!), fresh ingredients and copious amounts of love (and dashes of lime) it's an absolute art to learn how to balance the perfect coconut sambol. In a country in which the coconut is of supreme importance, this is one Sri Lankan side dish that pays fitting tribute to these ingredients on an Ayu in the Wild Farm to Table experience ‘Gourmet in the Wild’.

Oh and don’t forget those sweet sweet mangoes for dessert!

Help build pocket circular economies - sip a King Coconut in Sri Lanka

3

From Coconuts to King Coconuts

We locals in Sri Lanka usually can’t drive by roadside cornerstores, when we spot the familiar hues of orange (the hue is known as thambili in Sinhala) of King Coconuts. Make sure your customized itinerary has plenty of time for a stop over at a thambili stall and watch as the vendor skillfully carves the thambili and hands it to you (we dare you to drink it without a straw! It’s an art that needs to be mastered!). Hand the empty thambili back to the vendor, and he will in turn split it and carve out a spoon from the outer shell in a matter of seconds so that you can now enjoy the soft jelly like core. Nothing quite comes close to the joy of sipping a thambili. It is truly the king of all coconuts. Your support as an eco traveller in Sri Lanka will strengthen a little circular economy of skilled coconut pluckers, corner store owners and small scale coconut gardens build back better in their locality.

Fine dining in Sri Lanka at the Ministry of Crab in Colombo

4

Tasting the Coves and Tides of the Coast

If you love your seafood, there really is nothing that gets our taste buds singing than Ministry of Crab, which opened in 2011 and landed on the annual Asia's Best Restaurants list two years later, placing Sri Lanka firmly on the international foodie radar. Speak with our Private Travel Designers for prior reservations inside the eclectic space at the Dutch Hospital Precincts in Colombo. It’s the perfect place to dine on a night out in Colombo. Crabs are as fresh as they can be, caught daily by local fishermen the chef has built relationships with. Taste the wildness of local coves, the soft ebbs of tides, the saltiness of the lagoons across the island’s coastline in the diverse selection of crabs on the menu.

Tamil people traditionally eat some foods from banana leaves in Sri Lanka

5

A Meal on a Banana Leaf

On an Ayu in the Wild tailor made trip to Sri Lanka’s North, you’re bound to be offered a meal on a banana leaf. We recommend that you roll up your sleeves and dig right in! The tradition of eating food on banana leaves is not only a treat to the eyes but to the palate as well with a certain earthy flavour enhancing the food and is traditionally practiced by the Tamil people of Sri Lanka.

Luxury holidays to Sri Lanka. Tailor made private tours by sustainable slow travel experts with a bespoke, boutique touch.

Ayu in the Wild Holidays is a 100% Sri Lankan owner-run bespoke luxury travel agency and are specialists in curating sustainable slow luxury holidays to Sri Lanka, since 2012. Founders of @sustainabletravelsrilanka

Contact Ayu in the Wild Holidays

Whatsapp +94 77 248 1100

or email info@ayuinthewild.com

Ayu in the Wild Holidays