About this experience
Buffalo curd, mee kiri, is one of the dishes the south of Sri Lanka is known for, and the country around Tissamaharama is where much of it is made. This private workshop takes you to a family of curd makers in a nearby village to watch the process by hand and hear about the lives of the people who make it.
You start with a walk around the farm, then watch the female buffaloes being milked by hand, and if one is calm enough on the day, you may try milking yourself. The milk is strained and boiled for two hours in a cauldron-like pot, stirred throughout, and because batches run continuously you move on to each next stage without waiting. A souring agent, once buffalo urine and now tamarind pulp, natural microbes or a spoonful of an earlier batch, goes into the milk before it is poured into clay pots, covered with paper and left to set for over six hours.
An English-speaking guide explains each step as you go. Afterwards you sit down to a bowl of freshly made curd with kithul treacle. Hotel pickup, food and drink, and gratuities are not included. Children aged five and over can join this 1.5-hour experience.
