Learn To Cook While You Travel
In truth, you can find specialized trips for local cooking courses nearly anywhere at this point (let alone on youtube in your own home – but where is the fun in that, right?). So here are some picks that have been suggested to us, on where to learn to cook while you travel, but we would love to hear more in the comments!
Italy: Everyone loves Italian food and if you knew how to cook a good Italian meal, you could probably befriend the entire world. Cooking Classes in Rome invites you to a five hour lesson on learning how to cook a delicious Italian meal, including the antipasto, homemade pasta, a second course and a delicious dessert.
France: Your cooking vacation or cooking class in France with The International Kitchen means authenticity, fabulous food, and fun. Learn to make local recipes and the traditional dishes of French gastronomy such as boeuf bourguignon, coq au vin, cassoulet and confit de canard during your amazing cooking classes.
Turkey: This cooking class is a little different; you actually go to the chef’s home and learn to cook an extensive traditional Turkish meal. The Turkish Flavors class begins at the ancient spice market in the old part of Istanbul, where you’ll taste and gather spices. The class then continues with a ferry ride over to the Asian side of Istanbul, where you’ll visit the home of the Turkish chef and learn to prepare your 7-course meal.
India: Saffron Palate (in Delhi) Three food professionals, with a combined 80 years experience between them, came together to start Saffron Palate. The company offers cooking experiences in an Indian home, featuring cuisines from all over India. The Eat, Pray, Cherish experience is particularly popular and combines cooking with a temple visit. Other classes focus on cooking street food, a full course meal, or simply a couple of staple Indian delicacies. Market walks and fully customized classes are also possible
Japan: Students in Tokyo Kitchen’s three-hour classes learn about Japanese seasonings and table manners before diving into hands-on lessons in Japanese home cooking techniques. The menu rotates daily between different varieties of sushi, tempura and other Japanese specialties such as okonomiyaki, ramen, katsu and more.
China: Offering one-day and 10-day classes in traditional Hutong cuisine, Beijing Cooking School trains students in both wok techniques and pastry, which includes dumplings, dim sum and noodles. Classes involve market tours and interactive demos as well as hands-on practice.
Thailand: Thailand’s original celebrity chef Ian Kittichai and his team teach fun friendly workshops for Issaya Cooking Studio in a modern studio space. A favorite class features four recipes from his Issaya Siamese Club restaurant.
Mexico: Learn to make Mexican food the Mexican way in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. La Cocina Cooking School has cooking classes taught in English and the wine and margaritas are included as well as your meal. Reserve your class for lunchtime or dinner and enjoy learning how to make guacamole the traditional way.
Peru: Sky Kitchen receives rave reviews for its cooking classes, and they are also held in a chef’s home with its expansive views of Lima from the rooftop terrace. These hands-on classes teach you how to prepare a traditional Peruvian meal from scratch (hello cerviche!). There is a lunch class and a dinner class and you have the option of adding a market tour; the market tour is offered once a day.
*A charming youtube cooking series we quite enjoy is “Cooking with Nonna” which features host Rossella Rago cooking traditional recipes with Italian Grandmother’s.