SOMETHING FISHY

Indulge in the flavours of southern Italian cuisine on this hands-on cooking lesson. In the centre of one of Italy’s prettiest cities, guests will learn how to prepare a delicious Apulian style meal featuring homemade pasta and the freshest of fish. An introduction to the culture, gastronomic history and wine growing traditions of Salento is also on the menu.

You will meet your chef and the other participants in Piazza Sant’Oronzo and begin your day with a visit to the local fish market. Here, as you amble past the stalls brimming with the morning’s fresh catch, your chef will show you how to distinguish different types of Mediterranean fish and shellfish and select the ingredients needed for the cooking lesson. You will then head for the location of your culinary class where the secrets of Apulian cuisine will be revealed.

Founded in 2003 by a sommelier and food writer, passionate about all things Salento, this cooking school has been enthusiastically reviewed by national and international magazines. The school prides itself on providing students with a 360-degree immersion into Apulia’s gastronomic heritage, not only by helping them improve their cooking skills but also by delivering an enriching cultural experience. Participants will discover why wild field chicory is not just an alternative to spinach, but a symbol of four hundred years of civil disobedience as well as one of the healthiest foods on earth. They will also hear about the region’s ancient olive oil making tradition, get to know how the Adriatic and Ionian seas have influenced Salento’s culinary customs and find out why Apulia is unarguably one of the most compelling wine regions in the world.

The recipes you will recreate here are seasonal and specific to this region. You will try your hand at making pasta from scratch and, depending on what’s at its best on the day, also learn how to clean squid, mussels or sea bream. You will then cook a delicious fish-based lunch, wash up and sit down to an interesting talk on the history of rosé wine in Salento. A tasting of three different pink nectars will work up your appetite for the mouth-watering four-course meal prepared by you and your international classmates… We know you’ll have a whale of a time!