Luxury Culinary workshops
Italy Puglia cooking classes and culinary tours
Information about our cooking classes in Puglia Italy
Our cooking classes are unique because they are hands on and in English, therefore you learn by doing! All cooking classes are taught by Cinzia & Marika, two sisters native to Lecce Puglia Italy. We offer a very personal experience because all groups are very small (up to 6 people). Marika is also a Cardiologist. Cinzia is also a professional wine sommelier and certified extra virgin olive oil taster. Please also read what our guests wrote on TRIPADVISOR
During each cooking class you learn the traditional recipes from the Pugliese cuisine. We also tell you about the healthy benefits of our Mediterranean cuisine.
All recipes we prepare are very simple, but still very delicious because based on very high quality ingredients and extra virgin olive oils.
At the end of each class you will have a chance to taste your creations. All dishes will be accompanied by excellent DOC wines and extra virgin olive oils from Puglia.
Our programs at our Cooking School near Lecce run every week, year round and last from ONE Day to SIX days. The ONE day cooking class may include just a half day cooking class or also a visit to a beautiful market.
During the 6 day culinary program you won't be stuck in the kitchen for a week! We optimize your time in the kitchen with lots of preparation on our side (i.e. you don't need to know how to wash vegetables!!) so that in addition to cooking, you also visit beautiful markets, go to best cheese artisans, visit excellent wineries, attend extra virgin olive oil classes, visit beautiful towns such as Lecce and Gallipoli.
Please check our CALENDAR for our cooking classes and events in 2009 and 2010
Our Cooking School is based in Squizano, 10 minute drive from Lecce. Please
For prices and availability please contact us at: info.stile@gmail.com
Information about our Market tours and Artisan tours in Puglia Italy
We organize Market tours which include visits of the best fruit, vegetable, cheese, salami and seafood in Puglia. This is a unique opportunity to learn about the wonderful products of Puglia, meet the local farmers and vendors and taste delicious products. Cinzia will teach you how to select the best ingredients for the cooking classes. A typical Market tour lasts half day. You may attend just a Market tour of the full 6 day culinary program.
We organize visits of the best producers and markets in Puglia: artisans producing home-made pasta, bread, cheese and mozzarella, salami, chocolate, ice-cream, figs with almonds. You will discover the authentic Mediterranean cuisine, meet famous restaurant owners and producers, visit the best wineries and vineyards in Puglia and Southern Italy.
Information about Puglia food and cuisine
The cuisine is one of the best ways to bring you to the heart of Puglia and Southern Italy. This beautiful region is home to the authentic Mediterranean Cuisine with an emphasis on seafood, fresh vegetables, legumes, cheese and olive oil. Puglia ranks number one in the production of olive oil, and number two in almond production within Italy. When the almond trees are in bloom, the air is rich with its sweet scent.
Traditional Italian home made recipes from Puglia Italy
The beauty of Puglia’s cuisine is its variety. Puglia region has 5 provinces and each of them has its own traditional dishes. This is because Puglia has had many dominations (the Turks, the Greeks, the French, the Spanish) and each of them has left a big influence in the food as well as in the language, culture and architecture. For example, the size of the orecchiette handmade pasta can change from town to town, even if 3 miles apart. The way we call a dish can change: in Bari focaccia is a higher pizza with tomatoes and olives on top; in Lecce focaccia is a two layer dough with tomato, cheese and vegetables inside.
Also, there are lots of dishes which not only are seasonal but also associated to special occasions and festivities: cartellate fried pastries are only made at Christmas time; lentils and cotechino for the New Year's Eve dinner; the pittule fried dough only during Passover; baked lamb for the Easter lunch; the zeppole pastries for Saint Joseph, the chiacchere pastries for Carnival, a special bread with olives for Saint Anthony, etc. Each dish has usually a traditional meaning, which can also be religious. We love the description of the Pugliese cuisine that Nancy Jenkins wonderfully highlighted in her book.
Puglia cuisine is the best example of "the cucina povera", the peasant cuisine. It is based on what the region produces (mainly legumes, vegetables, durum wheat and fish) and on seasonal ingredients. At the top of the season, fresh products are preserved for when we can't find them: green fava beans are dried to make the delicious fava beans with chicory, bread is cooked twice in stone oven to make frisellas (a bread which last for one year); vegetables are preserved in extra virgin olive oil, garlic and mint; red tomatoes are picked with their vine, hang on a rope and stored in cool environments for the winter; juicy tomatoes are also used to prepare the home made tomato sugo; figs are dried and stuffed with almonds; quinces, oranges, grapes, cherries and all the variety of fruit are used to prepare traditional marmalades.