Oceania Cruises has always prided itself on its culinary bona fides. After all, Oceania is the cruise line that has Jacques Pepin, the world-renowned French Chef, serve as the line’s Executive Culinary Director. Oceania is also home to the Bon Appetit Culinary Center which is a world-class teaching kitchen onboard both the Marina and the Riviera. To round out their emphasis of fine food, Oceania has cultivated special excursions in a variety of ports where passengers get out and explore the local ingredients, meet local chefs, taste amazing flavors and then later in the day regroup at the Bon Appetit Culinary Center to make some of the region’s famed dishes. These excursions are called Culinary Discovery Tours and depending on the itinerary you choose there could be up to five tours offered on your sailing.
For an example of what these excursions entail, here is an overview of the Culinary Discovery Tours offered in the Mediterranean ports of Livorno and Crete.
Livorno:
- Your day begins at Livorno’s central market where you will have time to peruse the stalls featuring locally grown produce and meet the farmers selling their meats and cheeses, among many other things.
- Then you are taken on a ride through the Tuscan countryside, where you will snack on some of the breads, meats and cheeses sold at the market.
- The ride will end at a local winery where you will tour the cellars and venture via horse-drawn trolley into the vineyards.
- Then you will meet the winery’s chef who will show you how to make focaccia bread and cantucci, an almond flavored biscotti, in the wood-fired oven. You’ll get to taste these dishes and enjoy a glass of wine.
- Back on the ship you will meet up at the Bon Appetit Culinary Center where the Bon Appetit chef will give you a lesson on how to make a Tuscan dish using ingredients purchased at the market.
Crete:
- As you wind your way through the island, the chef at the Bon Appetit Culinary Center will point out the fresh herbs that grow wild on the island and give you an overview of the Cretan diet.
- As you reach a village near the peak of the island you will be able to use your hands to prepare dolmadakios, gemista and cheese pies as three generations of Cretan women teach you the techniques to making these popular snacks.
- You’ll hear about the local olive oil and get to sample this major staple in the Cretan diet, along with some local cheese.
- Then you’ll enjoy a full on Cretan lunch complete with wine before spending time visiting local shops on the island.
- Back onboard you’ll have a 60-minute class where you’ll again learn more about the healthy Cretan diet and their culinary techniques.
During these Culinary Discovery Tours you are not only learning about the food of the region, but also the culture. Food is an intrinsic part of any destination and on these tours you get to meet the local farmers and cheese makers, you learn about what these dishes mean to the locals and take home a skill to remember your experience by. Call a Cruise Web cruise consultant to find out more about these inviting and delicious excursions and the Oceania sailings that go along with them.
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