Kandy Market-to-Table

Shop the central market with a cook, then turn the basket into lunch.

What the Kandy Market-to-Table is really like.

Kandy's covered market is a riot of tropical produce, dried fish, jaggery and mounds of spice, and it makes the perfect start to a cooking day. You walk the stalls with your cook, choosing vegetables, herbs and the right chillies while learning what each spice does. Back in the kitchen you turn the basket into a hill-country rice-and-curry lunch. It is a relaxed half day that connects the ingredients to the plate.

At a glance

Best season: Year-round
Typical duration: Half day
Region: 1

Moment by moment

How the day unfolds.

Step 01
Into the central market
Step into the bustle of Kandy's market hall, stacked with tropical fruit, dried fish, jaggery and spice.
Step 02
Choosing the spices
Your cook teaches you to pick cinnamon, cardamom, fresh curry leaves and the chillies that set the heat.
Step 03
Back to the kitchen
Carry the basket home and prep the vegetables, scraping fresh coconut for the milk that binds the curries.
Step 04
Cooking the spread
Simmer a hill-country rice-and-curry lunch, tempering spices and balancing each dish as you go.
Step 05
Lunch with a view
Sit down to the meal you shopped for and cooked, often looking out over the hills around Kandy.