A Cooking Class in Puglia

Spring and Summer are wonderful times to visit Puglia, the new popular destination in international tourism in the south of Italy. This region is characterised to a large extent of Baroque architecture, centenarian olive groves, a myriad of nice little villages (where it is possible to experience the local traditions and culture), a beautiful coastline going from the Adriatic to the Ionian sea, magical atmosphere and warm local people.

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Puglia offers an incredible variety of food and wine. This is the southern region of the “cucina povera” (peasant cooking), based on natural, genuine ingredients, like vegetables, legumes and lot of seafood, olive oil, homemade pasta and bread . Its superb food and wine, make Puglia perfect place for a culinary and wine vacation.

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Vegetables in this area are the basis of any meal. Row or cooked, they are always considered an important part of the meal and in some cases wild vegetables are used to make simple and tasty recipes of the rural tradition like wild chicory, spices and cheese.

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A cooking class in this area is a once of a lifetime experience. There’s a group of fun and lovely Moms called “Mamme in Cucina” (Mums in the Kitchen) where guests have the opportunity of spending their culinary day with a local mum in her kitchen and have lunch based on their creations with the rest of the family and friends.

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A special day to spend with locals like a local, during which guests perfectly mingle with local people and their habits.
A cappuccino and cornetto to well start the day in some popular bar (for the locals), a visit to a food market, some casual tastings along the way, the preparation of the meal hands-on and tons of fun pictures during the lesson.

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All of our Moms are simply wonderful: lovely and excellent teachers when it is about cooking. These lovely mums are all native from Puglia, they are not chef, but Mamme who have been cooking traditional recipes lifelong, maintaining intact the traditional cooking as it was once and who know anything about freshest seasonal products, traditional recipes and food markets. They personally know every vendor they shop from and can tell you many interesting stories on ingredients combined in an almost magic way.

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They are the typical local mum, simple and genuine. The day you spend with them is one of a kind: relaxing, instructive (because they will teach you how to cook the traditional way) and fun. Classes are conducted in a casual and very familiar way, just like being home with friends.
Guests are given a nice “gift bag” with an apron – to take home – recipes, little gifts and foodie delicacies.

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So if you want to celebrate the extraordinary beauty of Puglia “cucina contadina”, keeping food and simplicity at the centre of family and friends life, eating with a local family, sharing the joy of food and of the “casa”, then Puglia will be a real wish-fulfillement destination for you.
Cooking with a local Mum is the best way to experience this authenticity: watch her rolling pasta, make focaccia and bread and chat in a fun Italian language.

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To reserve your special cooking class with a MAMMA, please email to: info@yltourcongressi.com
YLTOUR offers cooking lessons, winery tours, gourmet tours, harvest experience, excursions to artisan food and wine producers and of course, very popular cooking vacation programs in Puglia that include accommodations and excursions to remote villages.

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Ylenia Sambati is a Puglia Travel Expert who can assist you in planning a trip to the region. She organizes unique trips to Puglia and provide lovely accommodations. Packages from one day, to weekends and weekly programs.
www.yltourcongressi.com

Ylenia was born and raised in Puglia (she attended University in France) and has extensively experience in tourism and event planning, promoting events and cultural initiatives in Italy and abroad focused on Puglia.

Besides her interest in tourism, Ylenia has also organized several events around the world promoting Puglia culture and lifestyle through the promotion of cultural and educational exchanges by planning events and tours which enhance the familiarity between Puglia and the rest of the world.

She very well knows the area and local culture and loves writing and informing the public about this beautiful southern Italian area and all the interesting things it has to offer.

She represents an outstanding point of reference for passionate of Puglia cuisine and lifestyle: foodie/gourmets, travel agents, importers, cooking schools, tour operators, sommeliers, students, media people, chefs and restaurateurs, writers, bloggers, editors, travel consultants, promotional organizations of food, wine and tourism, people loving southern italian culture around the world.

She specialize in customized Puglia travel and events planning and offer unforgettable experiences for leisure, incentive and business travel, with programs where culture and the traditions of southern Italy can be truly experienced and enjoyed and assists foreign companies in reaching Puglia trading partners.

She can tailor a wide range of inspirational events and tours: enjoy the most authentic Puglia and do something beautiful: cook, yoga, food and wine tour, paint, sport, meet the locals. Don’t miss her hands-on cooking classes in creative cuisines and wine appreciation in authentic Puglia retreats. She  also help you buy, restore and rent out rural, town and prestige properties in the Salento (Puglia) area.

She speaks Italian, English, French.

Email: info@yltourcongressi.com – www.yltourcongressi.com