Salento cooking class and local food, and dinner with them

About this tour

Learn to shape Salento pasta by hand in a cook's home kitchen near Lecce, then sit down to eat what you've made. Over four hours, you'll roll out orecchiette and macaroni using traditional methods, prepare a full regional menu, and finish with pasticciotto and caffè leccese. The host sources local organic ingredients and accommodates vegetarian preferences. It's a genuine afternoon of cooking and eating together, not a performance.

Highlights

• Shape orecchiette and macaroni with rolling pin and hands
• Prepare pasticciotto, Lecce's signature pastry
• Make caffè leccese, the region's iconic coffee
• Cook full Salento menu using organic local produce
• Sit down and eat everything you've prepared
• Vegetarian-friendly menu options available

What to expect

You'll work in a home kitchen, not a restaurant setting. Expect flour under your fingernails and the rhythm of hand-rolling pasta the way locals have done it for generations. The host will guide you through shaping dough, building a three-course menu from scratch, and the exact technique for caffè leccese, which involves a specific ritual with hot coffee and cold milk. You'll then gather at the table to taste your work, with wine or soft drinks depending on age. The whole experience takes about four hours and moves at an unhurried pace.

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