Hidden Kitchens of Sri Lanka by Bree Hutchins (Murdoch, 2014)

Lawyer-turned travel writer, Hutchins ventures deep into the tiny tropical island of Sri Lanka and with her keen eye and determination to go off the beaten path, she cooks with and collects recipes from those she meets. She is invited into the home of war widows, tsunami survivors, orange growers, candy makers. She has lunch with tea pickers. She cooks in an army camp, and with inmates at Monaragala Prison. Her focus is mostly on the north and east, until recently inaccessible because of civil war. This is a stunning book.