Peter Kuruvita lands in Sri Lanka and is swallowed by the sights, sounds and smells of his childhood home, Colombo. This is where, through the guidance of his father, Wickramapala Kuruvita, Peter learned to always cook and eat with love. Peter reconnects with Prima, his childhood nanny, and together they cook in the bustle of Colombo’s largest market, Pettah. Celebrations for the Kelaniya Perahera then take over as elephants and hundreds of thousands of Buddhist worshippers line the streets. Peter joins in the rituals and celebrations, honoured by experiencing the yearly event in Colombo, before embarking on his journey across Sri Lanka.

Peter retraces an old Sri Lankan family holiday route inland, from Colombo to what he considers the eighth wonder of the world: the ancient palace fort ruins of Sigiriya. On a mountain top opposite the ruins, Peter prepares a historic royal curry transcribed from a palm leaf, before descending to nearby rich farmlands only accessible by boat. Peter cooks a curry for the farmers with the popular Sri Lankan vegetable manioca. As the sun fades, Peter cooks Ambul Thial, a freshwater fish dish, by the water of Lake Habarana and is visited by an inquisitive elephant.

The Sri Lankan city of Kandy was once occupied by the last of the Sinhala kings. The location is revered by numerous ancient religions and home to the honoured Buddhist Temple of the Tooth. Peter stops by a nearby spice plantation on his way into the city, tasting fresh cocoa and cooking with peppercorns straight from the tree. Once inside Kandy, Peter samples local Muslim biryani and tries his hand at cooking popular street food such as hoppers and kothu roti. As the drums of the Temple of the Tooth strike a familiar beat, Peter joins the Buddhists making their offerings and thinks of past times here with his father.

The production of tea and cinnamon are two incredibly labour-intensive processes, and, to this day, both are harvested largely by hand. Sri Lanka boasts a fine history with its distinguished tea fields and also produces the majority of the world’s cinnamon supply. Peter travels by train to the hill country, home to these industries. Here, Peter cooks with, and learns from, the people whose hands deliver the world such flavour.

Peter joins a multi-faith pilgrimage to Kataragama temple and, along the way, learns how to make the jelly sweet dodol, which, in Sri Lanka, is prepared exclusively by specialist cooks. Keen to continue learning from those who know Sri Lankan cuisine best, Peter enlists some local help to end his 20-year pursuit of the perfect hopper recipe. Peter also attempts to milk a buffalo for the first time to produce a dessert made with its curd. He delivers the treat to orphans at the Maha’ara Buddhist School.

Fishermen from Sri Lanka’s south coast fish in the surf, perched high on stick mounts embedded in the sand beneath the waves. Peter learns the technique and manages to catch a few herring while teetering precariously on his borrowed post. From fresh seafood to fresh vegetables, Peter explores the nearby market in Hambantota before catching some waves with a couple of Sri Lanka’s few resident surfers.

Galle is home to a Dutch fort, built at the height of the medieval spice trade, when traders considered it the centre of the world. What remains today in the city is a rich amalgamation of cultural influences. Peter pulls in fishing nets with locals on the beach before meeting an old friend, Juliet Coombe, in the city, exploring its streets and street food informed by centuries of social diversity.

The beaches of Sri Lanka’s east coast are popular tourist destinations for surfers, swimmers and sunset beach strollers. However, Peter investigates lesser known charms beyond the surf and sand. Led on a bush food safari through Yala National Park, Peter learns how to find lotus in the mud lakes and yams in the jungle. He then works his way north from pristine Arugam Bay to the harbour of Trincomalee – a journey only recently deemed safe to travel after decades of civil war in the area. Fresh seafood is caught and cooked by Peter as he admires the coastline along the way.

Peter rediscovers the unique northern Sri Lankan coastal city of Jaffna, which is finally safe to tour after three decades of civil war. He also finds recipe inspiration at a local monastery before joining in the Sri Lankan New Year celebrations.

Peter’s Sri Lankan journey ends at the country’s northern-most peninsula. Here, Peter fishes with Sri Lankan locals for the last time, prepares a distinctive seafood soup known as Jaffna Kool, and learns how the plant symbol of the region, the palmyra palm, yields an array of unusual products. Peter then travels further northwest by ferry to the island of Delft. He concludes his Sri Lankan experience with a mud crab feast on the beach, as a gesture to a long-standing local family.