Puglia Cooking Classes: Orecchiette & Masseria Kitchens
A Puglia cooking class means orecchiette: pressed from semolina and water with a knife and a thumb, in a masseria kitchen, a farmhouse in Ostuni, a courtyard in Polignano or a doorway in Bari Vecchia. Compare the top-rated classes below, then read our notes on the formats.
Orecchiette and masseria cooking classes
Formats: orecchiette on a farm near Ostuni or Alberobello with lunch; Bari classes with focaccia and orecchiette, or pasta and tiramisù; courtyard classes in Polignano and Monopoli; masseria days that add cheese-making and burrata; Lecce classes in a fifteenth-century courtyard.
What you learn: the semolina dough, the drag-and-flip that makes the ear, cime di rapa and anchovy sauce, focaccia barese, and often a burrata or ricotta pulled by hand.
Price and time: roughly 55 to 100 dollars for two and a half to four hours, lunch included on the farm classes.
Orecchiette on a farm
The classic Puglia class happens at a masseria or a farmhouse in the Valle d’Itria, among the olive trees: semolina and warm water kneaded, rolled into a rope, cut, and each piece dragged with a knife and flipped over the thumb until it becomes an ear. Then the sauce, cime di rapa in season or tomato, and lunch at a long table with the farm’s oil and wine. Ostuni and the Alberobello area host the best-reviewed versions; some add cheese-making, with burrata or ricotta pulled in front of you.
Bari
Bari classes are shorter and cheaper: focaccia barese and orecchiette in a kitchen in or near the old town, or the standard pasta and tiramisù with wine. Some pair the class with a walk past the pasta ladies of Arco Basso. See Bari food tours and classes.
The coast and Lecce
Polignano a Mare and Monopoli, 15 to 25 minutes from Bari by train, have courtyard classes that suit an afternoon before a swim. Lecce’s classes run in old-town courtyards and add Salento dishes to the orecchiette. See Lecce.
How we choose
We list only experiences with a strong rating over a meaningful number of reviews and free cancellation where available, and we favour small-group and family-run hosts. FindEatLocal earns a commission when you book through GetYourGuide or Viator links on this page; it doesn’t change the price you pay. More about how we choose.
FAQ about Puglia Cooking Classes: Orecchiette & Masseria Kitchens
Frequently asked questions
Where is the best orecchiette class in Puglia?
On a farm in the Ostuni or Alberobello area if you have a car; in Bari or Polignano if you are travelling by train.
Is orecchiette hard to make?
The dough is easy; the shaping takes twenty minutes to get and a lifetime to get fast. Every class sends you home able to do it slowly.
Are the classes vegetarian?
Mostly by default: orecchiette with cime di rapa or tomato, focaccia and cheese. Say so at booking if anchovy is a problem.