Cooking with Coombe

Saturday, 17 May 2014 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Text and pix by Claire Cheney

Visiting Galle Fort is a must for anyone vaguely interested in Sri Lankan history. One of the most knowledgeable people to learn from during a visit to the Fort is a woman named Juliet Coombe, a former resident of Great Britain, and now of Sri Lanka. Married to a Sri Lankan man, she has been fully immersed in the culture, and with her history as a journalist, Coombe has the kind of curiosity that is infectious, so that you too want to be immersed in Sri Lankan culture and history. Juliet is not only an inspiring, accomplished woman (she has started her own press called Sri Serendipity Publishing House), but also a down-to-earth person who instantly makes you feel like a friend. I signed up for a cooking experience with Coombe, in which she explained all about Sri Lankan ingredients, flavours and methods, but also helped me understand how to experience them. For example, after making the famous Sri Lankan rice and curry, which consists of a series of different dishes that you eat ‘tapas’ style with your rice, she instructed me to first taste them with a fork (Western style), and then with my fingers (Sri Lankan style) and observe the difference in taste. Indeed, eating with my fingers was quite different than with a fork, as it became not only a more sensual experience but also a more pleasurable one—I could sense which curries were too hot (as in temperature) before putting them in my mouth, and I could mix and mingle the flavours with more delicacy than I could with a fork. When I explained I was interested in learning about Sri Lankan pre-history, especially the food culture of the early Sri Lankan inhabitants, she gave me the number of several professors she knew on the island who specialised in these areas of history. When I wanted to take a photo of my food, she showed me how to better compose my photograph, getting in some of the background and foreground but with the food in focus. After my cooking class I was thoroughly full and in need of a walk. Fortunately Juliet was leading one of her famous walking tours of the Fort, and I joined the group, learning from her animated stories about the architecture, religion and economy of the Fort, as well as its survival during the tsunami of 2004. The walk concluded at a cosy restaurant/bar where we enjoyed a refreshing beverage and said goodnight, walking home with a new knowledge of our surroundings. For anyone with an inquisitive spirit, I highly recommend meeting Juliet Coombe — she has so much to share and is a wonderful teacher. Her tours begin at Serendipity Arts where her own books (as well as others from the press) may be purchased. (Trekurious together with DailyFT explores Sri Lanka for the curious traveller. Trekurious works with talented individuals and great brands to create amazing experiential tours, activities, and events in Sri Lanka. You can find out more at www.Trekurious.com.)