Spice and all that’s nice at World Food Festival here

The Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) will host the ‘World Spice Food Festival’ on October 4.

For centuries, Sri Lanka has been well known for its spices. In fact it was these spices which drew imperial powers to our shores. Even today the country is referred to as the land of spices due to the availability of the rich variety of spices and it is this reputation which led the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) to organise the ‘World Spice Food Festival’.

This will be the seventh occasion this culinary extravaganza cum festival is being organised. The aim being to attract more tourists to the country, through promoting the country’s rich food culture.

“This will be a good opportunity for tourists as well as the general public to taste different spice cuisines, as international chefs will be participating at this mega event. An aim of the programme is to provide an opportunity for local chefs to interact with international signature chefs, imbibe their knowledge as well as serve as an event to attract tourists” said Upali De Silva, Director, Product Development and Events of the SLTDA.

Cuisines from India, Australia, Malayasia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Pakistan, Latin America, China, the Middle East, Mongolia and Mexico will be on offer at the festival.

The Hawkers Street Food Promotion will be the centre-piece of the festival which will be held from October 5 to 7, at the Board Walk, Battaramulla and will feature stalls from a number of five-star hotels in Colombo.

There will also be a series of events, including food promotion at hotels. The food festival will conclude on October 13 after the closing ceremony which will be followed by a familiarization tour on October 15.