When visiting Italy’s capital, any food lover worth their salt should seek out one unmissable experience: cooking in Rome. Food is an integral part of Italian culture. But the country’s cuisine goes well beyond the stereotypical staples of pizza, pasta and gelato. To scratch beneath the surface of Italy’s rich culinary culture, our cooking lessons in Rome offer the perfect solution. In the company of your own professional Italian chef, you can learn all the secrets behind the country’s local dishes and regional specialities.
Become the conqueror of dinner parties through a cooking class in Rome!
Learning to make a range of delicious recipes under the guidance of a professional chef is not only a great way to have fun, but also to experience an authentic taste of Rome’s culture and people. And that’s exactly what Walks Inside Rome offers through one of our renowned cooking classes.
If you want to nurture a deep appreciation of authentic Roman cuisine, our cooking classes and food tours offer the perfect solution. We offer a range of shared and private experiences – from classes focussing on beloved dishes like pizza and gelato or pasta and tiramisù to customized classes where you can focus on any food (or flavours) of your choice.
A cooking class with Walks Inside Rome is fun, friendly and educational!
Where to try cooking in Rome
To help you get cooking in Rome, our expert chefs will host you in one of our two centrally situated schools. The first is a converted 17th-century palazzo, across the road from the Italian Senate and just around the corner from Piazza Navona. With sleek, modern worktops and a Baroque frescoed dining room, this is the perfect place to perfect sumptuous Roman cuisine in stunning surroundings.
Our second school is a stylish terraced kitchen space a stone’s throw from the Pantheon. Designed to accommodate small intimate parties as well as larger gatherings or team-buildings, this school is perfectly situated to accommodate your every need while cooking in Rome.
Perfect the art of pizza; master Italian pasta
So what kind of recipes can you learn to conjure up when cooking in Rome?
- Carciofi alla Giudia (Jewish Artichokes): Artichokes are an artform in this part of Italy. These budding thistles of deliciousness come into blossom between February and April, setting up Rome’s citizens for the summer ahead. ‘Jewish Artichokes’ are Rome’s favourite variety. Seasoned with salt and pepper, carciofi alla giudia are dunked into a deep vat of olive oil. They are then deep-fried until crispy, resembling well-cooked potato chips in both taste and appearance. Only so much healthier, and so much better.
- Saltimbocca ‘Roman-Style’: Saltimbocca is such a typical Roman dish that adding ‘Roman-style’ to the end seems almost entirely unnecessary. Meaning ‘jump in the mouth’ in Italian, it’s a dish that delivers on its promise, exuding moorish meat juices and melt in the mouth flavors. Saltimbocca is as wonderfully simple as it is flagrantly carnivorous, consisting of little more than a slice of veal layered with slices of prosciutto and enriched with the fresh flavor of a sage leaf. Held together by little more than a toothpick, this cutlet of veal is deglazed with white wine, sautéed in olive oil, and served with sides of fresh vegetables and tomatoes.
Saltimbocca: a true Roman speciality to try through one of our culianry experiences
- Supplì. These oozing balls of meat and mozzarella are a true staple of Italian fried food. Translating from the French word for ‘surprise’, these balls of deliciousness were initially stuffed with chicken giblets, mincemeat, and a local cheese known as provatura. In recent years, however, refined tastes and choosy tourists have seen a blossoming of other variations. These include – but are in no way limited to – the classic cacio e pepe (cheese and pepper), ‘nduja (spicy pork sauce from Calabria), and even smoked gorgonzola and herring.
- Parmigiana: Parmigiana is one of Italy’s most beloved dishes. It’s a layered dish, oozing creamy, gooey mozzarella and fleshy, locally sourced tomatoes. Parmigiana is a Sicilian speciality, traditionally made from eggplant and basil. But you can actually make parmigiana using any array of ingredients. How you’ll make it on one a master parmigiana cooking class depends on which seasonal ingredients we can get our hands on at the market
Getting creative in the kitchen with Walks Inside Rome
Founded by Roman siblings Marilena and Salvatore Barberi, Walks Inside Rome has become one of Rome’s leading tour operators over the course of its 20 years. Walks Inside Rome offers a range of cultural and culinary itineraries – both around Rome and its environs and beyond. But it is its range of cooking classes that have gained the most popularity in recent years.
Next time you’re in the Eternal City, get in touch with Walks Inside Rome. Whether you want to get creative in the kitchen and try cooking in Rome or nourish yourself with knowledge through one of our immersive cultural itineraries, Walks Inside Rome offers the perfect solution for discerning travellers.