With the SALT programme now available on Silversea’s Asian voyages, travellers can get to know the food of the land

You’re snug on a cruise ship enroute to your next destination. Sure, you could chill on the veranda with an icy cocktail in hand, but wouldn’t it be great if you could spend an hour or two on this stretch learning about the food and food culture of the destination before you arrive?

If you’re a traveller on board Silversea’s Silver Moon, Silver Dawn and Silver Nova, you can do just that as part of the SALT (Sea and Land Taste) programme, now available on its Asian voyages. Comprising the SALT Kitchen restaurant, SALT Bar and SALT Lab, the programme was designed to immerse guests in custom-designed experiences that connect them with the culinary cultures of each port of call.

For starters, SALT Kitchen adapts its menu with each leg of the journey, serving dishes that reflect the local flavours and ingredients found in the day’s port of call. At SALT Bar, this regional focus extends to the menu of unique cocktails inspired by local customs and ingredients, as well as a range of local wines, spirits and beers.

But the most fun to be had is in the SALT Lab, where hands-on cooking classes or workshops immerse participants in the food culture of the land. One recent morning, we found ourselves standing behind a row of induction stoves in the Silver Moon’s SALT Lab, listening to chef and host Gustavo Cruz expound the history behind Peranakan culture. The lesson was basic at best, explaining how Peranakans are the result of early mixed marriages and how Peranakan food is distinctly spicy and robust.

We fried a chunky rempah for chicken curry kapitan before tossing in a morsels of chicken breast. It wasn’t the most authentic rendition of curry kapitan (Peranakans never use chicken breast for braising, for example), but for anyone new to the cuisine and region, it’s a gentle toe-dip into the complex and kaleidoscopic world of Peranakan food.

Before the vessel docks, travellers can also sign up for shore experiences such as a visit and meal at Intan Home Museum in Singapore, a plant-based culinary journey with Michelin-star chef Vichit Mukura in Bangkok, or an organic farm visit with gourmet dining in Phuket.

Naturally, these experiences are snapped up fast, so if you’re planning to sail onboard a Silversea vessel, remember to book at reception as soon as you step on the ship.