Cooking Classes and Spice Gardens in Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan food is all about spices, coconut and many small dishes served together. A cooking class lets you learn the techniques behind it — and you get to eat a feast at the end. It's also a lovely way to spend time in a local home.

What you'll learn

A typical class lasts 3–4 hours and covers how to make a full rice and curry spread, usually 5–8 dishes such as:

• Parippu — dhal curry with coconut milk.
• A vegetable curry — pumpkin, beetroot, jackfruit or aubergine.
• A meat or fish curry — chicken, fish or prawn.
• Pol sambol — grated coconut with chilli, onion and lime.
• Mallung — shredded greens with coconut.
• Papadums and rice.

Many classes start with a trip to a local market to buy vegetables and spices. You'll learn to scrape coconut on a traditional coconut scraper, squeeze fresh coconut milk, roast and grind curry powder and temper spices in hot oil. Some classes also teach hoppers or roti.

Vegetarian and vegan classes are easy to arrange — see our vegetarian guide.

Where to take a class

• Ella — many guesthouses and restaurants offer evening classes.
• Kandy — home-based classes with families in the hills.
• Galle and the south coast — classes in villas, guesthouses and cookery schools, some including a visit to the market.
• Sigiriya and Habarana — village tours often include a cooking demonstration and lunch with a farming family.
• Colombo — classes in homes and restaurants, with visits to Pettah's spice stalls.

Ask your guesthouse — some of the best classes are informal sessions in the family kitchen.

Spice gardens

Sri Lanka grows true cinnamon (Ceylon cinnamon), pepper, cardamom, cloves, nutmeg, mace, vanilla and more. Many spice gardens line the A9 road around Matale, between Kandy and Dambulla, making an easy stop on the way to the Cultural Triangle.

How a spice garden tour works

A guide walks you through the garden, showing how each spice grows and explaining its uses in cooking and Ayurvedic medicine. Tours are usually free and short. They often finish with a free head or shoulder massage and then a visit to the shop.

Avoiding the hard sell

• Prices in spice garden shops are usually much higher than in supermarkets or markets.
• Herbal remedies sold with grand claims (hair growth, weight loss) are best avoided.
• You're never obliged to buy. A polite "no, thank you" is enough.
• Drivers often earn commission from spice gardens. If you're not interested, tell your driver at the start of the day.

Buy spices instead at supermarkets such as Keells or Cargills Food City, or in markets — see our shopping guide.

Bring it home

• Curry powder — Sri Lankan "roasted curry powder" is darker and more aromatic than Indian powders.
• Cinnamon quills — true Ceylon cinnamon is thin, papery and layered.
• Goraka — a sour dried fruit used in fish curries.
• Pandan (rampe) and curry leaves — check whether you can bring fresh plant material into your country.