Negombo
There is a story about a swarm of bees that had settled in a boat pulled ashore here in Negombo, and for this reason, some of the Sinhalese call Negombo Meegamuwa, or in other words, ‘The village of honey’. Funnily enough though, Negombo is defined a lot more strongly by its cinnamon trade. This has caused much eventfulness over the years! The soft and fine sanded soils of Negombo make it a prime area for creating the sweetest and therefore most lusted after cinnamon (or cinnamomum Zeylanicum as it is known botanically!)
Having been first discovered by the Moors (a term used for Muslims at the time), they were chucked out of Negombo by the Portuguese in the 16th century, who quickly realised the profitability of the stuff. This was such serious business that they even built a fort to protect their trade!
Dutch Colonial Heritage
In the 1640s however it was the Dutch that captured Negombo, and encouraged a different type of planting that focused on commercial groves to maximise production. Set north of Colombo, under their control Sri Lanka's Negombo became a bustling commercial port. Whilst cinnamon is still a big part of the areas history and identity today, Negombo is perhaps best known now for its fishing. Having been a pioneer of the non-mechanised outrigger canoes, known as Oruwa, these are now a characteristic icon of the Negombo scenery. Whilst visiting you can even have a go in one, with some being set up on land for a unique dining experience too!
Negombo Fish Markets
With the above in mind, as you can probably imagine Negombo’s fish market is one of the island’s best! Expect to be enticed by large catches of tuna, seer, marlin, shark, barracuda and swordfish! The prawns, crabs and lobster are also prized for their deliciousness. Chowing down on these amongst the tropical atmosphere, with the smell of sea water in the air will have you in a state of complete contentment!
Lastly, Catholicism is a big part of Negombo’s identity also. This is shown through the many beautiful shrines and churches, such as St Mary’s, which was built over a period of 50 years, from 1874 and has some spell binding ceiling art! Such scenery adds a very enchanting atmospheric quality to Negombo.