Heritance adds a Third Dimension to Sri Lankan Cuisine

In addition to taste and presentation, Heritance Hotels & Resorts is introducing health as a third dimension to Sri Lanka’s cuisine in its properties, Heritance Kandalama and Heritance Ahungalla.

Sri Lanka’s premier international hospitality brand which recently announced its expansion overseas brought leading Sri Lankan academics in the field of food science & nutrition, Heritance’s internationally acclaimed chefs and preferred suppliers to discuss the opportunities for the development of Sri Lankan cuisine as a source of nutritive and medicinal value as a value addition in their menus.

The workshop looked into the identification of nutrients and corresponding ingredients, development of cuisine and looking at avenues for supply.

Dr Ananda Chndrasekara, Senior Lecturer of Biochemistry, Human Nutrition & Dietetics of the Department of Food Science & Technology of the University of Peradeniya and Dr Vajira Senaviratne, visiting lecturer, ayurveda consultant and pharmaceutical chemist outlined Sri Lankan food’s nutritional and medicinal values which reveal great promise to develop specialized Sri Lankan cuisine as a health option.

Development of Sri Lankan cuisines is expected to create demand for local ingredients, helping the rural economies of the country.

“The nutritive qualities of specific ingredients in western food are well-known internationally due to the vast amount of research published and media attention. In contrast, Sri Lankan cuisine in spite of its many nutritive and medicinal qualities has not received due recognition. We hope our initiative would help in recognizing the health aspect of Sri Lankan cuisine internationally”, commented the Managing Director of Aitken Spence Hotel Managements Mr Malin Hapugoda.

Mr Gemunu Goonawardena, Director Food & Beverages, Mr Anil Udawatte Director Sales & Marketing of Aitken Spence Hotels, and well-known Sri Lankan master chef Publis Silva also addressed the gathering.

Heritance Hotels and Resorts’ Group Skills Development Chef Dimuthu Kumarasinghe, who is the only chef in the world to have won 9 gold medals in individual events in both the Culinary Olympics and Culinary World Cup and was also present at the announcement.

2007 – Ace Magazine Issue 4