World Spice Festival

"Once you get a spice in your home, you have it forever. Women never throw out spices. The Egyptians were buried with their spices. I know which one I'm taking with me when I go" - Erma Bombeck (U.S. humorist, 1927-1996)

Thirteen different dishes were promoted during the World Spice Festival.They were Australian Bush food, Italian, Chinese, Indian, Sri Lankan, Arabian, East African, South African, European, Indonesian, Malaysian, French and Thai. These delcious dishes were promoted in thirteen hotels and restaurants in Colombo.

Sri Lanka's famous spices are the focus of the island's first World Spice Festival - a celebration of food with a difference, which was held from the 08th of October till 15th of October 2005, in Colombo.

An event of the Sri Lanka Tourist Board, the World Spice Festival was partnered by HSBC and Dilmah, the island's top tea brand, as the main event sponsors.

The eight day festival showcased Sri Lanka's long association with spices,dating back to the 15th century.

"Variety's the very spice of life, That gives it all its flavor" - William Cowper (English Poet, One of the most widely read English poets of his day, 1731-1800)

The World Spice Festival is to be held in Sri Lanka annually.

"In older days the food was used as a medicine to cure diseases. It is believed that if you have green chillie seeds in your stomach, it prevents the worms to grow. If you have salt, pepper, garlic and ginger are essential to make a delicious dish. These spices have medicinal values.Garlic lowers the blood pressure, while ginger rises the blood pressure" says an Indian chef Vinod Kumar Bhatti.

A variety of oils used in cuisine to add extra taste to the dishes.

Sri Lankan pickle

Soban Singh marinates the chicken to prepare kebab.

The chicken kebabs are being cooked

Indian chef Vinod Kumar Bhatti makes the Panneer Tikka-Vegetarian kebab.

Fish Fingers.

The chicken burger and beef burger are being cooked.

The green chicken curry is being cooked

Sameera Chandrasena cooks the Tanzanian seafood brochettes on zahar bread.

Sameera Chandrasena cooks the grilled chicken Mozhambique on hommous coated pita bread.

These prawns are to be cooked in Thai cuisine.

Fish Awapasanda.

Sri Lankan egg hoppers and plain hoppers. Sri Lankan cuisine was the focus of the Spice Bazaar, held at the Hawker's street, near the Beira Leke in Colombo on the opening day.

Jayantha Sumanasri make the Sri Lankan Chicken Koththu.

The Tanzanian seafood brochettes on zahar bread are being grilled.

East African dishes on display.

The first ever World Spice Festival in Sri Lanka has drawn larger food lovers than anticipated.

The festival-gores dined under the stars.

The festival-goers are entertained, while enjoying their dishes.

An Indian food stall.

A fusion of Sri Lankan spicy food.

The festival-goers at the Spice Bazaar.

The guest chefs ,who participated in the World Spice Festival.

Pepper plants on display were for sale at the World Spice Festival.

The festival-goers taste the cinnamon.

Sri Lanka supplies almost ninety percent of the world's cinnamon. It's 7,500 to 10,000 tones annually. The cinnamon is the forth largest export (next to textile, tea and coconut) of the country, which earns hundred million dollars annually. Sri Lanka's main Cinnamon export markets are USA, Mexico, Columbia, Peru, Paraguay, Argentina, India and Europe.

An instrument used in the ancient art of cinnamon peeling.

The cinnamon is grown in the coastal belt of Sri Lanka.

The Island's dominance in the spice world is reflected in the fact that both cinnamon and cardamom are native to Sri Lanka. And the country is also a major supplier of pepper, cloves, nutmeg and mace.