‘Kitchen:

Culinary Ethnology in Sri Lanka’

Lanka Decorative Arts in collaboration with the Department of Fine Arts - Faculty of Arts, University of Peradeniya will hold an international conference titled “Kitchen: Culinary Ethnology in Sri Lanka” from 4 – 7 August. The four-day international conference is sponsored by the American Center and spans study tours, academic presentations, discussions, performances and culinary demonstrations and will take place in Kandy, Colombo and Galle.

The kitchen – also known as kussiya, adupadi and kusini in Sri Lanka’s varied languages – is a site, which embodies the country’s long history and illuminates its vibrant multi-ethnic heritage. The kitchen and the culinary activities surrounding it are crucial to personal, national and global narratives and will be explored in-depth across multiple academic disciplines. Presentations will revolve around kitchens around the island, rituals, colonial and indigenous influences, trade routes and global economies. Objects, materials and techniques associated with the kitchen and fast disappearing food traditions in areas of the island will also be discussed by local and international academics, to highlight the island’s colourful culinary heritage and its intertwined histories.

The two keynote addresses will be given by Prof. Elizabeth Simpson (Professor on Ancient Art, Bard Graduate Center for Studies in the Decorative Arts, New York) and Prof. Sudharshan Seneviratne (former head of the Archaeology Department, University of Peradeniya; former Director of the Central Cultural Fund and former Ambassador to India). The event will bring together academics and students from the universities of Colombo, Peradeniya, Moratuwa, Jaffna, Batticaloa and South Eastern University, Oluvil.

Cookery demonstrations, food tours and visits to museums and heritage homes will be interspersed with scholarly explorations on culinary ethnology in order to provide an all-encompassing academic experience to the participants. The travelling conference will begin with a two day session in Kandy consisting of academic sessions, performances and a field visit to a walauva. This will be followed by a day’s proceedings in Colombo on 6 August, sponsored by the Mount Lavinia Hotel. Proceedings in Colombo will consist of morning academic sessions followed by lunch and a cookery demonstration by renowned chef, Publis Silva - Director of Culinary Affairs at Mount Lavinia Hotel, and a conversation on Portuguese and Dutch-Burgher cuisine in Sri Lanka.