Sicilian cuisine is an intriguing melange that developed over centuries, the result of an endless stream of conquerors—Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Saracens, Normans, and Spanish—that shaped the island’s culture and cooking. Learning about a destination through its food is one of travel’s great delights, of course; a good way to do that (beyond all the restaurant “research”) is to take cooking lessons in situ. It can help you connect to a locale in deliciously simple yet profound ways.
Here are classes and culinary sessions throughout Sicily, many held in historic settings, where you can try your hand at this distinct form of Italian cuisine, get a better understanding of the island’s past and traditions, and have a scrumptious meal.
To get a glimpse of insider Sicily while polishing your culinary skills, it’s hard to beat “A Day Cooking with the Duchess”in Palermo. During the course you learn to prepare an authentic Sicilian pranzo under the guidance of an Italian duchess, Nicoletta Polo Lanza Tomasi, who also happens to be an expert cook. The location is one of the city’s most notable residences, the Palazzo Lanza Tomasi, a former of home of Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, who wrote The Leopard. (The best-selling and now iconic novel was made into the famous Luchino Visconti movie, Il Gattopardo.) Lanza Tomasi, the Duchess of Palma, teaches throughout the entire session, which starts briskly at 8:30 AM (and runs to 3-3:30 PM) with a visit to Palermo’s buzzing Il Capo market to buy fresh produce for making lunch. Another stop is in the palazzo’s gardens for herbs and fruit that will also be used for the meal. “The class is hands-on, and all students must participate in the preparation of the menu,” says Lanza Tomasi. No particular skill level is required, she says, with students varying from “absolute beginners to experienced cooks.”
During class students tackle everything from appetizers to dessert. Naturally, there’s a pasta course to master “with one of the many delicious pestos and sauces Sicilian cuisine is known for,” says Lanza Tomasi. She also demonstrates how to prepare a secondo, or main course, with meat or fish, as well as vegetable side dishes and dessert. The completed lunch is then served in the palazzo dining room.
Lanza Tomasi points out that “my classes are not only about food. They also offer a unique cultural experience.” And they most certainly do. After lunch students are given the chance totour the 18th-century palazzo and see the original handwritten manuscript for The Leopard, the author Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa’s library, and historic family documents and portraits.
The palazzo, one of the country’s Dimore Storiche Italiane, also has recently refurbished apartments that
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