How to Learn to Make Sri Lankan Cuisines in Habarana

Often regarded as the best way to take your Sri Lankan holiday back home with you, learning to prepare local delicacies is a rewarding activity for those with a flair for the culinary arts. Home to one of Asia's most underrated cuisines, Sri Lanka prides itself on the many authentic and traditional dishes and curries in its cannon. Whether one is an interested novice or an avid Asian foodie, here are some tips on how to learn local cooking skills during a trip to Habarana.

Do Your Home Work

Those who wish to pick up Sri Lankan culinary skills during a trip to Habarana or any other part of the island should first and foremost read up on the subject and prepare for the activity well before landing in the country. Food culture is very specific to different corners of the world and it is important to read food blogs, books and journals on the key aspects of Sri Lankan cuisine, the regional cooking style, staple ingredients and core flavours. While Ceylon tea is popular the world over, information on local food culture is scarce unless one looks at online and offline resources to get started on their food journey. Those who do the homework will find that they will be able to learn the basics of preparing local dishes more efficiently as they understand the main principles and practices behind the island's traditional cuisine.

Sign Up for a Food Tour

Occupying pride of place in the Central Province, Habarana is the perfect location to sign up for a Sri Lankan food tour. The laid back atmosphere of this sleepy town located near iconic heritage hubs the likes of Polonnaruwa and Sigiriya make it the ideal hotspot for foodies looking to enjoy a food tour in the region. Food tours in the area are offered by various resorts and hotels the likes of Habarana Village by Cinnamon and a host of many a Sri Lanka resort in Habarana while private tour operators are also known to organize culinary tours for tourists. Most of these excursions last around three hours and include pit stops at local villages, temples, farm houses and even areas where ingredients are cultivated before taking the participants to their village-based instructors. A simple menu of rice, coconut sambol, a vegetable curry and rotis are usually what's part of a lesson during the food tour.

Join a Cooking Class

Travellers who wish to bypass tours of farms, temples and other attractions and just wish to get down to the business of learning how to cook certain dishes and desserts will also have a plethora of options at their disposal. There are housewives and culinary experts in Habarana who have set up their own cooking classes at home while resorts also can arrange cooking lessons with their local chefs for clients who are interested in attending a demonstration or a full cooking session.

Shop for Ingredients the Old Fashioned Way

Tourists can also learn the basics of how to select the freshest vegetables, the best spices and the juiciest fruits for various dishes by touring a local market with a culinary guide. Sunday markets are part and parcel of community life in an area such as Habarana and visitors can find their pick of aromatic spices and other curios during a trip to one of these maze-like thoroughfares.

Pick Up Local Wisdom

Another way to hone in on what you learned during a food tour or a cooking lesson in Habarana is to purchase English language cookbooks written by local chefs and culinary experts. Most local bookshops stock an array of publications aimed specifically at teaching foreigners local cooking skills so one need not venture too far to find a Sri Lankan cookbook with a wealth of information.