Culinary Tour and Cooking Holiday in Sicily

Majestic volcanoes, glorious sandy beaches, ancient temples, scrumptious food, and divine wine – these are just few of the many things that make Sicily one of the best places to visit.  It has a wonderful climate, perfect for traveling the whole year-round. When you want to spend your holidays in Sicily, you would surely want to know what to see, what to do, and what to eat. For more information on the island, you can check out Wishsicily website which could be a useful Sicily tourism guide in order to discover the food and wine itineraries. Eating is perhaps one of the favorite things tourists and locals enjoy in the place. It is for this reason that culinary classes and tours are available for those who are interested in the gastronomic delights of the island.

Image from: http://www.pippinhillfarm.com/

Sicilian cuisine varies significantly from that of the mainland dishes in the sense that it is influenced by a mix of foreign cultures ranging from Arab, Greek, French and Spanish. If you are a food aficionado, you would certainly want to know how to prepare typical Sicilian dishes. This is possible by joining a genuine cooking class where you can take advantage of learning about traditional dishes and even get to taste some wines. 

If you are near Palermo, you can attend the cooking classes with a real cook in the Quattro Canti area. You will learn how to prepare traditional Sicilian dishes set in the oldest part of the City. You can also take part in the Market cooking classes with the owner of the Cin Cin Restaurant, Vincenzo Clemente, located in the center of Palermo. Every class is comprised of a minimum of 2 people and a maximum of 8 and starts from 9:00 in the morning and lasts until 1:30 PM. Together with Mamma Lucia and Vincenzo, you will literally go to purchase the ingredients in an outdoor market, taste some traditional food along the way, prepare the dish and eat it accompanied by the right Sicilian wine. That would be a great hands-on cooking class. You will learn to prepare dishes such as Pasta con le Sarde which is a very tasty first course made with wild fennel, fresh sardines, saffron, anchovies, pine nuts and sultanas. 

There are also other restaurants in Sicily that offers both cooking classes and wine tasting excursions.  In central Taormina, visit the Il Nettuno Restaurant where you can attend a 5-hour cooking class to prepare a 3-course Sicilian meal of meat, fish, pasta and vegetables with the professional local chef. The course will start with a visit to the local market to purchase the necessary ingredients and have some wine-tasting. You will also learn about traditional Sicilian sauces such as Pesto di Pistacchi. At the end of the class, you will get to eat the dishes you prepared and sample local white and red wines. A truly excellent way to get to know Sicily!