Visiting Puglia for an authentic cooking experience? Then read on. Jumping on the bandwagon to take your money are the visiting curators – food pirates – who want to take you on a culinary journey with them, profit from your inexperience and offer something less than Puglia already has to give you.
Authentic Puglia cooking classes?
Puglia has become Italy’s second top foodie destination. Our region’s cucina povera tradition is ‘fashionable’ and on point – sustainable and seasonal, a slow food habit short on ultra processed fast food. For locals and other Italians, Puglia’s food traditions and cuisine have always been celebrated.
With Puglia’s rising popularity, especially among food lovers, food experiences here are now our second most requested activity. In fact, one of the latest trends is hiring an in-villa cook—a local chef who prepares authentic meals right in your accommodation.
On the other side of the coin, many visitors are interested in learning how to cook traditional Puglian dishes. These culinary experiences go beyond just tasting the food; they involve hands-on lessons such as making pasta (especially orecchiette here in Puglia).
Food tourism in Puglia has been on the rise. Visitors are now seeking authentic home-cooked meals and immersive culinary vacations. We understand the appeal. As we once wrote, cooking is central to life in Puglia:
“Food is an integral part of our region’s identity. Sharing meals with family, friends, and even strangers is at the heart of many Puglian celebrations.”
There are countless opportunities for unique cooking vacations in Puglia. Nothing beats an experience rooted in local tradition.
However, be mindful of food tours organised by those with limited knowledge of the region. Cooking experiences for visitors run by visitors. We imagine it would be like going to London for fish and chips, battered and fried by someone on vacation from Switzerland. Why do that when you can enjoy an immersive cooking experience led and prepared by locals who are truly passionate about their food and culture? Hosts steeped in our traditions, with cooking stories to match their recipes, passed down the generations.
We have Luisa, Luisa Tricca a local chef and champion of regional cuisine. As well as running cooking classes, she also works as a private chef and home cook. In-villa dining (booking someone to come to the kitchen of your holiday home or vacation villa and cook typical local dishes with you or for you) is becoming ever more popular. Luisa is warm and generous and her cooking classes and home cooking experiences are beautifully curated.
Alternatively the Awaiting Table cookery school based in Lecce offer a five day full immersion course offering 17 wines, eight pastas, 50 dishes, 50 hours in the kitchen plus market visits, etc..
Who to avoid:
Foreign visitors ‘curating’ an authentic Puglia food experience. If your cooking class is offered by visitors who curate experiences here, there and everywhere, we suggest AVOID. That is a curated experience that mainly profits people not connected with our region.
Consider instead an authentic taste of Puglia. Made with love from Puglia, authentic experiences, hosted by those who genuinely know and love Puglia.
Insider tip | Cost of a Puglia ‘pirate’ cooking experience – as much as $2,000 more than a regular vacation. Be wary of going on an “authentic” cooking experience curated by anyone other than someone living in Puglia.
Insider tip | As Italy’s largest olive oil producer, Puglia is behind 40% of the country’s olive oil. That expensive Tuscan olive oil you bought? It might actually be from Puglian olives. Many olives are transported to Tuscany for pressing, allowing the oil to be labeled as Tuscan. Buy from Puglia. The best quality olive oil and lower priced olive oil without the “Tuscan” premium!