Beira Kitchen at Courtyard by Marriott Colombo recently came alive with the rich and diverse flavours of Sri Lanka as it hosted “Taste of Ceylon,” a culinary festival bringing together the distinctive cuisines of the Southern, Central, Uva and Northern regions under one table.
From the opening night, the festival offered diners an opportunity to explore the country’s regional culinary identities through a carefully curated selection of traditional dishes and live cooking stations.The Southern selection featured the deep, coconut-rich flavours of malu ambulthiyal and Negombo pork curry with pineapple, complemented by a lively fish pol roti action station. Representing the Central region were dishes such as Kandalama lake fish, black octopus curry and carrot kalupol, reflecting the culinary traditions shaped by the region’s lakes, forests and hill-country communities.
The Uva selection brought a rustic and comforting character to the festival, featuring village chicken stew, prawn curry with murunga and coconut pittu, which attracted a steady stream of diners. From the North, guests experienced the bold and distinctive flavours of Jaffna crab curry and Jaffna mutton curry, while a live dosai action station emerged as one of the evening’s popular attractions.Adding further depth to the experience was a wider spread showcasing Sri Lankan hospitality and traditional food culture. Guests were welcomed with belimal herbal drinks, while the bread corner featured an assortment ranging from curry-leaf rolls to kurakkan viyana rolls.
The dessert section continued the journey through Sri Lankan flavours, offering watalappan, wood-apple coconut wandu and king coconut jelly, alongside an array of traditional sweets including kokis, athirasa and aluwa.A common sentiment among guests on the opening night was the striking contrast between the four regional cuisines. Rather than presenting Sri Lankan food as a single culinary identity, the festival highlighted the distinct flavours and traditions that exist across the island.
The fiery character of the North, the coastal warmth of the South, the earthy flavours of the Central hills and the rustic comfort associated with Uva each emerged with their own identity, offering diners a culinary journey across Sri Lanka without leaving Beira Kitchen.According to the team at Courtyard by Marriott Colombo, Taste of Ceylon was conceived as more than simply a food festival or menu. The concept was designed to allow guests to experience Sri Lanka region by region, discovering the unique culinary heritage of each area in a single dining experience.Judging by the response from diners across the festival’s four nights, Taste of Ceylon succeeded in turning that concept into an engaging celebration of Sri Lanka’s diverse food culture.
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