Anthony Bourdain Finds a Changed Country in Post-Civil War Sri Lanka

Season 10 of Parts Unknown rolls on, and this week Anthony Bourdain heads to Sri Lanka. It isn’t the first time Bourdain has visited the South Asian island nation, but when he made the trip for No Reservations in 2008, Sri Lanka was embroiled in a civil war.

Now, Bourdain finds a peaceful place. His dive into Sri Lankan cuisine reveals food that is similar in some ways to that of southern India, which lies less than 100 kilometers away across the Gulf of Mannar and Palk Strait, but with more seafood and lighter curries.

Bourdain begins his visit in the capital city of Colombo, and his trip includes a 10-hour train north to Jaffna. A location that was hit hard during the war, it’s described by the host as a “time capsule.” Jaffna is also where Bourdain gets to try the “holy grail of Sri Lankan cuisine,” a crab curry he loves for its intense spice.

Parts Unknown: Sri Lanka airs at 9 p.m. this Sunday, October 29, on CNN. Immediately following the East Coast premiere, pay a visit to Eater’s Facebook page for a live discussion of the episode.

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