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Puglia Cooking class "Le orecchiette, che pasta!"

Badge of ExcellenceTaranto, Italy

4 hours 30 minutes
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Overview

Orecchiette is one of the most traditional specialties from Puglia, but you may not know the trick to making this unique ear-shaped pasta. With this countryside cooking class, learn how to turn out orecchiette like a true Italian nonna and discover other classic dishes made with seasonal herbs and vegetables grown in the Itria Valley. Celebrate your new skill with a four-course meal featuring your freshly made pasta.

Learn to make Puglia’s classic orecchiette pasta in a private country home
Insights into the Valley di Itria’s traditional cuisine with a local cook
Prepare a starter, fresh pasta and sauce, a meat dish, and vegetables
A final four-course meal with wine to cap off your experience

Sample Menu

Starter

La Frisa or Acqua sala

A typical but unusual Puglia starter.

Main

Orecchiette with sauce

Main alternative pasta course with plain tomato sauce, always available.

Main

Brasciole or Cime di Rapa

Depending on the season, we can offer a meat sauce (Brasciole) or the vegetarian Orecchiette con Cime di rapa, a typical vegetable.

Main

Vegetables and appetizers

Seasonal vegetables as contour.

Main

Fruit

Seasonal and organic fruit

What's Included

Beverages (local red wine: Negramaro, Salice or Primitivo)
Bottled water
Lunch
Coffee and/or Tea

Hotel pickup and drop-off

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Nord Salento Tour
via Padula del Cimitero, sn, 72013 Ceglie Messapica BR, Italy
I will send you the position via Whatsapp, but in case of difficulties reach the cemetery of Ceglie Messapica on the SPexSS581, just outside the city. Before the cemetry, go in the tiny road called "Padula del Cimitero". Go straight on for about 200 yd till number 3 white a white gate.

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Wheelchair accessible
Children must be accompanied by an adult
Dress code is smart casual
Stroller accessible

Please advise any specific dietary requirements at time of booking
Vegetarian, vegan, pascatarian options are available, please advise at time of booking if required
Near public transportation
Transportation is wheelchair accessible
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 20 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.

Traveler Photos

Featured review

Michael_P

Simona and her two assistants looked after us very well in a perfect setting , patient tutors with huge knowledge led us through new skills to a delicious lunch . We had a joyous group from all over the world who made the day with their humour , wit and enthusiasm , highly recommend

Reviews

5.0

149 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

We perform checks on reviews

Showing 1-10 of 149 reviews

An enjoyable day

thedew97, May 2024

We learned new things about pasta and pugliesi culture and got hands on training in making orecchiette and sauces to go with it. The meal was delicious and the ladies worked very hard to accomodate everyone. We also enjoyed learning more about the trulli houses. It was an enjoyable day and we recommend it!

We had a lot of fun! It...

TomErik_K, Mar 2024

We had a lot of fun! It was a great experience, we learnt a lot and had a very nice dish! I can recommend!

amazing

Alexander_B, Oct 2023

Super interesting experience with a great chef and a person - Simona ! strongly suggest to try this out!

Great experience with...

zofizolo, Sep 2023

Great experience with Simone and her family. Not only learned about Puglia cooking but also about its history.

Not what we exptected!

Sabrina_H, Sep 2023

It was an unpleasent experience. There were far too many people (25 in a small place for approx. 10-12 people) and the course took too long. It was indicated with 4.5h but we finished „lunch“ after 6h! The food was not what we expected, as example anchovies in the pasta sauce (not everyone likes this ingredient). On top there was noted in the description that wine is included but we didn‘t received any up to the end of the class (maybe 1 glass). The only positive thing was the mother of the host who was lovely and charming. Unfortunately we don’t recommend it.

Wonderful experience

Michael_P, Sep 2023

Lovely workshop

Marcel_H, Sep 2023

Such a great host. Lots of tips and interesting facts. Great fun to make the food. I would recommend this life-event to anyone who loves a great experience.

Great experience

Dave_C, Aug 2023

Simona was very knowledgeable and we learnt a lot. I thought 21 pax was a bit many for the area. Making the pasta was great but became a little boring after a while. Otherwise we’ll done.

Simona was brilliant,...

Saija_S, Aug 2023

Simona was brilliant, full of brilliant stories. My 14 year old son really enjoyed this as did I. Food was great too. We really did have a brilliant day. Thank you

Fantastic cooking class

Luna_L, Aug 2023

Simona did a fantastic job. It was an amazing day, full of laughter, good food and great learnings how to make pasta. She also did a small tour of her house, which is a trullo (tipical tiny house of this region). I would definitely recommend you to join this cooking class.

Perfect

yoav_h, Aug 2023

We came with our 3 girls (7,6,3) and had a great rome Simona and her mother where lovely. We would recommend to anyone coming to Apulia

Most authentic, fun and delicious cooking class!

Sandra_D, Aug 2023

With so many cooking classes to choose from, we are so glad we chose Simona’s for our amazing southern Italian cooking experience Her stories were so interesting and full of life experience, the cooking instructions were detailed and so much fun. And best of all the orecchiette and veal bombetta along with fresh tomato salad soup were all so delicious!

Great fun!

Jakki_L, Jul 2023

Everything was explained thoroughly. Nothing was rushed which made for a very relaxed atmosphere. Plenty of help and useful tips. Would I do it again? YES! Loved it!

Orecchiette with family

KatieMansueto, Jul 2023

The cooking class was not as anticipated. We were in Italy for a family reunion and thought it would be fun to take a cooking class. After extension research we chose the cooking class because it was a maximum of 10 people. I booked all 10 slots so that it would be our family only. Upon arriving there were at least 10 other people there. It would be advisable not to list a maximum number of people unless that is the fact. There were just too many people in the group. However, we did enjoy learning to make authentic pasts from scratch and learned how to mak the regions pasta: orecchiette! They were very nice hosts and took us around and explained the trulli. It was a unique experience, just too big of a group for our tastes.

Response from Host, Jul 2023

Hi Katie. Thanks for your review. I'm sorry for the misunderstanding that could be solved in the same day if you would have asked me... Only to clarify how it works on this platform, the number of people indicated is only a suggestion. There's a limitation for the number of people bookable for the same group but not for the day. The maximum number of people per day it's only nominal, a Viator rule and procedure that I cannot control. I've to check it manually and takes time, considering also that we have other partenerships. One the other side, this is not a restaurant but an experience in a private house. An authentic experience that we try to offer genuine and at our best. Thank you!

Simona and her team is...

Zala_K, Jun 2023

Simona and her team is amazing, very kind with a lot of knowledge not just in food also about history od this region. This was one of a kind experience, would recommend it to everyone.

Fun and informative

alisonnicholls, Jun 2023

Very interesting with lots of information. Very enthusiastic leader. Plenty of food. Too many people on the course so it was difficult to see everything. Nice to talk and mix with people from other countries. Could have done with coffee/ drink break after a few hours

Accommodating a gluten sensitivity was a thumbs up

Terri_R, Jun 2023

The history and delivery of the instruction was the highlight. Our host was extraordinary. A hoot! Since I’m gluten intolerant, the technique was hard to duplicate with the gf flour. However, accommodating our needs was hospitable. The overall length of the experience was a tad lengthy. We were pretty tired after the long lunch. An hour could be cut off without losing any worthwhile content. Hence 4/5 stars.

Amazing and highly recommended!

Shira_L, Apr 2023

We really enjoyed our time in the cooking class! The host is super knowledgeable, with stories about the area and the historical origins of the food and culture. We learned a lot and highly recommend it as an authentic activity when in Puglia 🫶🏽

Fun day with pasta

Cathy_H, Apr 2023

After some difficulty finding the venue, the day was fantastic. We met so many people who all bonded well. Simone has gone to a lot of trouble to prepare the food for us. She was assisted by a friend and her Mom. We all enjoyed sitting chatting while we attempted to make orichietta. There were two children in our group who took apart and were made to feel special too. There was a lot of food after we finished making the pasta, including wine. Great way to meet friends and learn the history of trullis and the Puglian way of cooking. D

We loved the experience...

theresa_b, Oct 2022

We loved the experience and learned so much about the origins of the local cuisine and it's history.

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