Amazing Cooking Classes Around the World
Aug. 20, 2012— -- When you're traveling, the only thing better than finding a nontouristy restaurant that serves amazing local delicacies is having a local chef teach you how to prepare those dishes yourself. These cooking classes get high ratings from TripAdvisor travelers. Warning: Just reading the reviews of these classes is enough to make you hungry.
Ubud, Bali
Tour a local market and then learn how to cook traditional Balinese cuisine in this highly rated cooking class in Ubud. "It was 'roll up the sleeves,' aprons on and we were into it, learning how to make coconut oil, preparing rice by traditional methods, chopping, frying, tasting, asking and answering questions under the expert tutelage of an expert chef," wrote one TripAdvisor traveler. Expect a delicious lunch as well as an opportunity to learn about Balinese traditions and culture.
Sarnic Hotel Turkish Cooking Class
Istanbul, Turkey
You'll cook several Turkish dishes (for one class, it was "spicy lentil soup, aubergines with onions and tomato, cheese pastries, stuffed grape leaves and stuffed figs") under the tutelage of chef Mehmet in this small-group class. "Best part ... we got the pleasure of eating our creations afterwards on the beautiful rooftop patio (excellent view of the Blue Mosque)," wrote one TripAdvisor traveler.
Mazatlan, Mexico
Salsa the condiment meets salsa the dance in this lively class in Mazatlan. "The salsas we made were delicious, especially the final dessert salsa," wrote one TripAdvisor contributor, while another described the dance lessons as "fun, energetic and relatively easy so as not to be too scary for those who don't fancy themselves to be light-footed on the dance floor." Just don't toss back too many of the all-you-can-drink margaritas if you want to remember what you've learned.
Ravello, Italy
"Our favorite day of our two-week honeymoon was our day spent in the kitchen at Mamma Agata cooking school, where we learned a lot, ate a lot and drank delicious wine all while enjoying the best view of the coast possible," wrote one TripAdvisor user who attended this cooking school in beautiful Ravello, Italy. Come hungry -- you'll spend all day eating the "exquisite yet uncomplicated" food.
Savannah, Ga.
"We can't say enough about how interesting, informative, educational, delicious and fun this class was, and it's all because of chef Darin," wrote one TripAdvisor visitor to Savannah. The Low Country Cuisine class, in particular, draws rave reviews -- you'll learn everything from knife skills to Savannah history. As another traveler wrote, "Skeptical of eating green tomato cobbler? You won't be after just one taste."
A Lot of Thai Home Cooking Class
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Typical comments from TripAdvisor reviews for this class: "One of the coolest learning experiences of my life"; "the food alone is worth the cost of the class"; and "even a kitchen idiot like myself was making delicious-tasting Pad Thai and Red Curry in no time!" Just book early -- chef Yui limits class size to eight, and many students attend two or three days in a row.
