1 day experience, part of a multi-day 3/8
A complete and intense experience in one of the largest covered fish market in Europe.
Stroll the biggest covered fish market in Europe with a local chef; enjoy the tasting of raw fish, cheese, wine and other delicacies the “insider” will have arranged for you; make your pick and buy whatever you wish escorted by your local guide; make an intense hands-on cooking lesson with what you have purchased while sipping some vermentino wine in a beautiful flat near the market; enjoy the mouthwatering dinner cooked with the freshest produce.
- market tour (3 hours)
- tasting for lunch (bread and wine included);
- cooking lesson with aperitif;
- the meal served with the courses we prepared together
- everything for dinner as wine, water, bread, fruit, cheese, coffee and liquors is included
Transfer from/to your place is included.
Visit the market
In this experience I will truly let you taste the distinctive Cagliari lifestyle: a nice way to get in touch with the Italian culture. I will take you in a bizarre and colourful place, the San Benedetto market, to taste and buy the ingredients to cook together. I will lead you through colours, sounds, yells, smells, crowds and tastes that in this spot are merged in a succession of varied emotions unveiling a special meaning: they are our way of living.local insider
It is a complete and intense experience, if you are a great passionate of the good cuisine you are going to love it. Preferably it is held at San Benedetto market one of the most fascinating and colourful places in Cagliari. It is considered to be the largest covered fish market in Europe and the varieties of fish you will come across it is just stunning. Cagliari is very well served in terms of municipal markets, boasting five in total. These should not just be seen as somewhere useful to do your shopping, though naturally they serve this purpose very well, but as an excellent place to absorb a little of the local culture and its traditions.
San Benedetto is the central market both in terms of location and size. Spread over two floors and spilling out onto the streets outside, this place really has to be experienced to be truly appreciated. As you walk in you will be taken aback both by the sheer selection on offer and by the electric atmosphere of a buzzing city market. The downstairs floor is devoted to fish, and such an abundance of the stuff you’d have difficulty finding anywhere else. If you’re hungry (which, let’s face it, you will be when surrounded by all this food) then why not indulge in a paper cone of freshly fried seafood? This recent innovation has proved very popular and it’s obvious why: it’s tasty, good value and the portions are enormous! San Benedetto, like all the other municipal markets, is open every morning from Monday to Saturday, but it’s probably best visited from Tuesday to Friday if you want to find the best stock and to avoid the crowds that descend on it from far and wide on Saturdays. The upper floor has its unique selection and distinctive character. You will find a wide variety of fruit, vegetables, meat and very friendly staff. The latter is important to mention as the market traders in Cagliari possess the unique gift of being amicable and knowledgeable about their products without being aggressive in their sales technique, which is so often the downfall of such places.
Tasting
While strolling the market throughout the shoutings of the characteristics fishmongers that try to communicate with the farthest stall to ask about the remaining species we will get the chance to make a real tasting of the freshest fish on display. Shrimps, see urchins and oysters just to mention a few. We will grab some slices of grey mullet roe, the pricy and well known bottarga with its unmistakable strong flavor or you will have the chance to taste the touching raw mussels just with few drops of lemon on them. On the first floor a huge variety of cheeses from the whole island, especially the pecorino will be waiting for us to be tried, framed with the colours of the vegetables and the fruits of Sardinia.
Wandering around through the stands you will have the possibility to make your pick according with your personal taste, interest and curiosity. I will give you suggestions and recipes to encourage and facilitate the choice so that we can head for the cooking lesson with a massive overflow of fresh and delicious products.
Cooking lesson
Once the menu has been carefully planned and all the goods have been purchased, all we have to do is to dip our hands passionately. Few meters away from the market we have the perfect spot at our disposal. A beautiful house in a recently well restored historical building with a well equipped kitchen to cook and enjoy the food you and me will prepare during the course.
Dinner
After the preparation of the food you will have some free time to enjoy a walk in the city centre giving us the possibility to lay the table for the exquisite dinner with all the recipes learnt in the lesson.
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