Italy Puglia cooking classes and wine tours

(Savory Strawberries)
I and Marika are back from our cooking and wine tour.
It was a memorable week: we cooked, ate, drank and … laughed a lot! Some guests even complained that the food was TOO GOOD and the wines too delicious!
After sharing so many memorable experiences, it is very sad when our guests (now new friends) go back to their homes…even though they left with the promise to be back in Puglia again (but only after following a strict diet!!).
The best part of a culinary tour is to meet so many interesting people who enjoy traveling and getting to know a place through its food, culture and the local people they meet.
These are just a few highlights of our week.
A good start of the day with one of the best Italian ice creams at the local seller:

Visit of a village which was ready for the Saint Patron celebration:

Lots of poppies and olive trees in the countryside:

We meet our fishermen friends in Gallipoli:

One of the fishermen invited us to his house to show us his collections. This was an experience that all our guests enjoyed a lot, since it was totally unexpected…and since no tourist guide books even mention it!
Collection of big shells caught in the sea and old nets used to fish:

Collection of other ancient instruments used in the house:

Collection of 12 little characters (below the Saint frame). Each character represents an old profession in the village. Starting from the left, we have: the fisherman, the carpenter, the builder, the shoemaker, the taylor etc. Every year, on the Holy Friday, local people wander around the village wearing the colored gouns and hoods.

We think this sort of little unexpected surprises makes our tours unique! Click here for more pictures about sea and beach in Puglia.

What was your favorite unexpected adventure in Italy?

Contact us at: info@stilemediterraneo.it

If there is something you should not miss when you are in Puglia on a gourmet tour is: eating fish! You can say: ohh “but I live by the ocean and I eat fish every day. I want some meat!”
Still, I think you should first try the fish in Gallipoli (by the Ionian sea), or in Otranto (by the Adriatic sea). Then you tell me if you still want some meat!

The Mediterranean sea has much saltier water when you compare it to the ocean, which I strongly believe makes fish more tasty.
However, it’s the whole experience which is unique and really mouth watering! In Puglia, locals won’t buy the fish in a supermarket. They will go direct to the harbor and buy the fish from the fishermen, just returned from their catch.

Can fish be any fresher than this? The typical Mediterranean fish includes: sea bass, sea bream, sword fish, calamari, squid, octopus.

However, my and Marika’s favorites are the red big shrimps from Gallipoli. The best place where to have them is “Le Puritate” restaurant in Gallipoli, in the historical center, just by the shore. I think it’s a restaurant which definitely deserves a Michelin star! It’s a bit expensive, but really worth it. The wine list is very good as well. Their famous recipe is to bake the shrimps in a big salt crust (exactly as if you were preparing the sea bream) and serve them with very fruity extra virgin olive oil. It’s something you will never forget!

Please let us if you ever try these shrimps!

To contact us write at info.stile@gmail.com 

Lecce is the baroque capital of the Salento area and Puglia. Typical dishes in Lecce are: Ciceri and tria, thepuccia bread, Sant’Oronzo eggplants, annulieddu a lu furnu, anchoviesarragonate, cutlets, snails with onions, gnemeriidde, Lecce sausage, black pudding, cartellate, taralli, quince jam, dried fruit, marzapanecakes.

Typical dishes in the Salentine province are: lampasciuni, early artichokes, ‘ncapriata (broad bean soup).

In the villages by the sea there are lots of fish markets with lobsters, mullets, dentex, bass, prawns, squid, cuttle fish, mussels, sword fish, rock crabs, tuna. Specialities in Gallipoli are: Gallipoli soup, spaghetti with crab sauce, fresh boiled mullet roe, the Gallipoli scapece.

Gastronomy in Maglie includes: pecorino cheese; ‘mbruscatizzi; dried figs with almonds, lemon peel and dried chocolate; raffiuoli (Easter cake).