With culinary tourism driving many destination choices, Puglia enjoys a reputation as one of Italy’s top foodie havens. The southern Italian region, known for spectacular wines and cucina povera cuisine, is set against a stunning backdrop of rolling olive groves, deep red soil and endless blue skies. A bounty of farm-to-table experiences, curated cooking lessons and a deep-rooted food culture, give Puglia cooking class all the way. The perfect place for travellers seeking an authentic Italian gastronomic adventure.
Puglia cooking class | regional credentials
As Italy’s top olive oil producer, Puglia accounts for almost 40% of Italian olive oil. It is Italy’s second top wine producing region, best known for robust reds like primitivo and negroamaro. Durum wheat used in most of Italy’s pasta is grown here. And Puglia gave the world burrata.
Puglia cooking class | the essence of culinary tourism in Puglia
A foodie vacation in Puglia is about more than just eating amazing food. Immersive experiences like a Puglia cooking class connect travellers to the land, the sea, its people and their history. With an agricultural and fishing heritage that spans centuries, like our region’s secular olive trees, Puglia’s food culture is about simplicity and sustainability.
Puglia cooking class | field-to-table experiences
A multitude of masserie, unique to Puglia, provide an abundance of fresh produce, including olive oil and wine. Puglia’s masserie were built to protect against pirates, raiders and siege. Fortified farmhouses, growing field-to-table produce for self sustainability. They now open their doors to curious travellers, offering a deeply connected and authentic food journey. Behind their walls visitors can stroll through olive groves, visit artisanal cheese makers, and participate in seasonal harvests.
Puglia cooking classes | learn from ‘home’ cooks
Cooking classes cater for all visitors. Food lovers seeking deep immersion in local cuisine. Families looking for hands-on experiences together. Solo travellers eager to dive into southern Italian culture.
Learn from local chefs, often using recipes passed down through generations. In Puglia, the focus is on simple and seasonal dishes that highlight the natural flavours of local ingredients. Little goes to waste., and every dish tells a story about our region.
Puglia cooking class | Traditional cooking methods
Traditional techniques and cooking methods are not just for show. Slow-food is not a gimmick or trend. It’s a way of life. Whether baking bread in wood-fired ovens, making fresh pasta by hand, or preparing seafood caught that morning, Puglia’s culinary offerings are deeply rooted. These experiences provide travellers with insights into the sustainable, resourceful cooking practices that have shaped our region for centuries.
Sustainable and ethical
Our region’s emphasis on locally sourced, seasonal ingredients supports a more sustainable approach to tourism. Visit local markets to source produce. The ingredients we use to cook at home and in restaurants reduces food miles and supports small-scale farmers and producers.
Why Puglia?
Puglia still offers a tranquil repose from the crowds found in Tuscany or the Amalfi Coast. Here you will enjoy a more intimate and personalised experience. The region is less commercialised, and its culinary traditions remain authentic. It’s about connecting with the people and traditions that make our region so special.
Puglia stands out for its simplicity and focus on quality ingredients. Our cuisine embodies the essence of cucina povera, a style of cooking that turns humble ingredients into satisfying dishes that are full of flavour.
Puglia cooking class | cook Puglia
Recommended cooking classes and in-villa dining experiences
The in-villa dining experience is increasingly popular. A personal chef will create a tailored menu with you, typically local and traditional dishes, based on your preferences, then come and cook at your villa for you and your family or friends. They will provide the ingredients and buy the groceries fresh from local markets – so the dishes are seasonal. They will serve the dishes and usually take care of the clearing up after.
Some can also provide a sommelier service, taking the form of a stand-alone tasting, or paired with your chosen menu.
Cooking classes can come to you, or you can go to a cooking school.
Moving from central to southern Puglia, we recommend the following, from in-villa dining experiences and cooking classes, to one of Puglia’s oldest cooking schools – the Awaiting Table Cookery School in Lecce.
As with all our recommendations, we don’t accept any payment or incentives in return for coverage. These are people we know, whose cooking and or classes we have experienced, and who we trust to recommend to you.
Puglia Delicious by Davide Papa | Ostuni, Monopoli, around the Valle d’Itria
We recommend Puglia Delicious by Davide Papa. At the comfort and convenience of your villa Davide and his team can provide a personal chef service for in-villa dining, hands on cooking classes and a sommelier service for wine tastings. Puglia Delicious also provide wedding service catering.
For videos check out Puglia Delicious by Davide Papa on Instagram. All classes are taught in English or Italian.
Luisa Tricca | Ostuni, Carovigno, San Michele Salentino
Luisa Tricca is a local chef and champion of regional cuisine. As well as running cooking classes, she also works as a private chef and home cook for in-villa dining. Luisa is warm and generous and her cooking classes and home cooking experiences are beautifully curated.
Luisa’s cooking classes are held at her home in Carovigno. For in-villa dining, Luisa covers the areas from Montalbano, Cisternino, Ceglie Messapica, San Michele Salentino (and in between, including Ostuni and Carovigno).
A selection of dishes Luisa has prepared for us:
The Awaiting Table Cookery School in Lecce
Founded in 2003, the Awaiting Table Cookery School in Lecce offer half day to full-week cooking courses. From their Fish Market/Pasta-Making/Feast Course to a five day Full-Immersion into Food/Wine/Culture, featuring 17 wines, eight different pastas, 50 dishes and 50 hours spread over time in the kitchen, at markets and around the table feasting.
When we visited, Silvestro took us shopping at the local daily market for seasonal produce for lunch. Then we returned to the school where we spent the morning making two different types of fresh pasta (for lunch and for dinner). We cooked lunch, enjoyed hearing about the wine pairing and the benefits of the Mediterranean diet as part of the eating for longevity course, “How to Eat and Drink to be 100”, we had joined for the day.
Thoughtful, delicious and fun – we really enjoyed being with the group on their second day, some of whom were return visitors to the school.
The Awaiting Table run classes all year round. Classes are in English.
We do not recommend cooking vacations organised by visitors who want to take you on a culinary journey with them while travelling here themselves on their own cooking vacation. Better to enjoy an authentic, immersive cooking experience curated by local chefs that is true to their local, daily life.
Puglia cooking class | #EatPuglia
Puglia’s culinary experiences extend beyond cooking classes, reinforcing Puglia’s cooking class. There are stand-out restaurants (often the simplest, least expensive trattorie or osterie serving home cooking are the best), and sagre food festivals.
Eat Puglia | recommended restaurants
Eating out? In Puglia you do not need to spend a lot of money to eat well. There are fine dining options but some of the best Puglia restaurants serve “home cooked” style meals, a local trattoria or osteria. Simple, delicious and inexpensive.
Our Puglia Guys guide to Puglia’s best restaurants lists town by town our favourite places to eat. Where we go for the traditional regional dishes that best represent our region, and represent the best of our region.
The sagra food festival | Italy’s best-kept food secret
Puglia is home to numerous ‘sagre’ food festivals, a chance to taste fantastic regional specialities and to delve into local culture.
Most sagre have local producers selling the goods, but there are also tastings, competitions, demonstrations and special menus. And they’re not just about the food: many sagre have their roots in old country fairs or pagan festivals celebrating the harvest and have been running for decades, even centuries.
Deeply rooted in local culture, sagre are lively celebrations of regional food and traditions. These communal feasts are vibrant, welcoming occasions held in towns and villages across Puglia, showcasing everything from grilled octopus to artisanal cheeses and local wines.
Sagre festivals take place all around Puglia throughout the year. Check out our Puglia Guys guide to Puglia’s sagre food festivals for a selection of Puglia’s better known food festivals.
