What is the best part for you when you are on vacation? For us, one of the most important things is definitely the food! Over the past years, self-cooking popularity has increased significantly. A survey by a German market research institute found that 41 percent of the respondents have been swinging their spoon since Corona more often. The three most significant nutritional aspects from the consumers’ perspective, this survey says, are: freshness of products (92%), healthy eating (81%) flavor and natural ingredients (81%). But one issue remains: Self-cooked food typically doesn’t come close to eating the real treats on vacation. 

To make sure you too can take a piece of your vacation home with you, several of our Green Pearls® partners host sustainable cooking classes. You can learn everything about regional cooking traditions. 

Genießerhotel Die Forelle: Slow Food and no imported goods 

The Genießerhotel Die Forelle on the Carinthian shores of Lake Weissensee in Austria has a special approach: Slow Food. The Müller family has already been looking after the well-being of its guests for three generations, together they have made the Forelle one of the most sustainable hotels in the region. Hannes Müller is at the head of the multiple award-winning restaurant. Everything here is also holistically sustainable. Thus, the Forelle has renounced the import of goods for about 15 years. Only what is regionally available depending on the season is used instead. 

Cooking course dates Genießerhotel Die Forelle 2024:

3.3. – 8.3.2024 | Cook.Work.Shop.Days (5 nights): Monday: sauces, foams, infusions / Tuesday: fish “nose to tail” / Wednesday: 3-course winter menu / Thursday: soups

6.6. / 25.7. / 8.8. / 12.9.2024 | Slow fish at Lake Weissensee: From 1 pm to 3 pm, Hannes Müller will take you fishing for wild fish. The fish is then prepared “nose to tail” in the hotel kitchen. (In the unlikely event that you don’t catch anything, a naturally farmed fish will be used).

10.6.2024 | Early summer vegetables & fish: During this one-day cooking course from 1 to 5 p.m., you and the chef will cook whatever (fish and vegetables) is available at the time.

23.9.2024 | Autumn vegetables & fish: The same offer at a different time of year

6.10. – 11.10.2024 | Cook.Work.Shop.Days (5 nights): Monday: Espumas in all variations / Tuesday: Tartare from vegetables to fish / Wednesday: 3-course fall menu / Thursday: Cooking vegetables “sous – vide”

Click here to register

Fish curry and more – Gili Lankanfushi, Maldives

The Maldives are pure luxury—that is not only noticeable in hotels like the Gili Lankanfushi, it is also reflected in the tasty cuisine. To bring that luxury into your kitchen, consider taking a cooking class at Gili Lankanfushi. You will learn how to prepare traditional Maldivian fish curry or tempura and sushi. 

The kitchen team will do all the preparations beforehand. So, you can fully concentrate and follow the tips and tricks of the professionals and stir, mix and cook together with them. Cooking at Gili means a colorful experience of exotic fruits and herbs, thrilling fragrances and amazing handicrafts. What 5* Resort would let you have such a close look behind the kitchen scenes!

• Dates 2024: The cooking courses are an integral part of the resort’s activities program and are organized throughout the year depending on demand and occupancy.

Western Ayuervedic at the HUBERTUS Mountain Refugio 

The HUBERTUS Mountain Refugio Allgäu in Balderschwang also has a special focus. Here you will learn everything about Ayurvedic cuisine. The hotel invites all cooking fans to weekly cooking classes with food coach and Ayurveda chef Gabriel Simon-Pinero. Gabriel traveled the world even as a child. Latin America, North Africa, Spain, Italy, and the South of France. He brought culinary knowledge and experience from each region. 

This knowledge is now available to you: with much joy and pleasure he teaches Ayurvedic cuisine, and the power of spices and herbs in his cooking classes. He always has a different theme, such as spice lore, sauces of the world or coffee production.

Thai Cuisine at Keemala – a “Villa Wonderland”-Resort

Keemala is located on the island of Phuket, with its beautiful villas nestled among the canopy of a tropical forest. Here you will begin a cooking class in the hotel’s fruit, vegetable and herb garden, where you will learn about the ingredients for Thai food. Afterward, you will cook together in the outdoor kitchen – for example, a Thai curry with homemade coconut milk.

• Dates 2024: You can book a cooking class at any time with a minimum of 24 hours notice. The course lasts 2 hours and has a maximum of 2 participants.

Thai cooking at Zeavola Diving Resort

Another Green Pearls® partner is the luxurious eco-resort Zeavola on the island of Koh Phi Phi (reachable by speedboat from Phuket). In addition to the diving school and snorkeling courses that will guide you through the corals and fantastic underwater world, you can also discover Thai cuisine. In groups of 2 to 6 people, you will first learn about typical Thai ingredients, spices and cooking methods while enjoying a cocktail or mocktail in a relaxed atmosphere. Then you prepare the dishes yourself under supervision. Dishes include Yum Nua Yang (spicy grilled beef salad), Tom Yum Kung (spicy shrimp soup with lemongrass and galangal) and Gang Kiew Wan Kai (green curry chicken with eggplant and basil).

• Dates 2024: Cooking classes are held daily from 2pm to 4pm. You can register online or at the front desk.

“Earth to Table” at Inkaterra Hacienda Urubamba in Peru

“Earth to Table” (also known as “Farm to Table”) means that the ingredients are harvested, processed, and served directly on your plate. You can experience this at Inkaterra’s Hacienda Urubamba in Peru. You can help with the harvest at Inkaterra’s “ecological farm” in the Sacred Valley of the Incas. Traditional tools and oxen are still used, and you will learn about Peruvian plants and the seasons.

The vegetables you harvest together will be part of the cooking class, where you will prepare a Peruvian dish according to a recipe. (You will be able to take the recipe home with you, including the apron). In addition to the dish, you will also learn how to choose the right wine.

• Dates 2024: Harvest excursions and cooking classes can be booked on a regular basis with a maximum of 6 participants, depending on the date.

Learn Italian cooking from the locals

Cooking together at A’ Cràpa Mangia in Italy

Prepare handmade pasta in an Italian farmhouse right on the Mediterranean Sea – you can do this at the  A’ Cràpa Mangia vacation apartments. “Our ‘Cooking together’ offer involves first preparing handmade pasta, then cooking it and then eating it together,” say the German-speaking owners. You can book the pasta course exactly as you like, and in addition to vegetarian and vegan options, you can even prepare gluten-free pasta!

• Dates 2024: Bookable at any time on request and adapted to your needs.

Sicilian culture on your plate at the ADLER Spa Resort SICILIA

The best way to get to know a country and its culture is through its food. The team at the ADLER Spa Resort SICILIA believes the same and not only focuses on authentic Sicilian cuisine at the resort, but also invites its guests to regular cooking classes. To add even more flair and Sicilian lifestyle, these classes take place in a rustic farmhouse in the Valle dei Templi. Not only will you learn about the island’s culinary traditions, but you will also experience its history firsthand.

• Dates 2024: Cooking classes in Valle dei Templi are an integral part of the activities program and take place regularly.

Have you ever taken a cooking class? Tell us about it!

You might also be interested in this: Slow Food: good-fair-conscious

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Der Beitrag Sustainable Cooking classes in Green Pearls® Hotels 2024 erschien zuerst auf GREEN TRAVEL BLOG.

Between the Susa Valley in the north and the Maritime Alps in the south lies the Valli Occitane, the Occitan valleys of Piedmont, which include the Maira Valley. Occitan — the “lingua d’oc” — is still spoken there today. Once it was the language of the troubadours and authors of love poems, but it was also spoken in everyday life. Today the number of speakers is shrinking, but Occitan still lives on in the dialectal language. In recent years, Occitan has even made a real comeback. The culture is promoted and passed on to the younger generation under the motto “What Grandma still knew”. Occitan cuisine is also experiencing a true renaissance. There is even a revaluation of the mountain regions, which are often perceived as backward. The partly still untouched nature is now particularly appreciated.

THE MAIRA VALLEY: A JEWEL OF OCCITAN CULTURE AND CUISINE

A special jewel in the Occitan Alpine valley world is the Maira Valley. A so-called “Hidden Gem”, a place far away from the tourist masses, which is still particularly authentic and attracts outdoor enthusiasts with unspoiled nature and spectacular panoramas. Because the landscape in the Maira Valley is anything but monotonous: from the lush oak and chestnut forests in the lower valley area you reach after only 45 kilometers deep gorges with vertically rising rock faces. In the Maira Valley there are many forgotten and now rediscovered corners and villages, all with the signs of a long history. What they all have in common is the respectful treatment of nature by man. Also, the cuisine in the Maira Valley follows the old tradition. The Occitan cuisine of the Maira Valley is simple and down-to-earth and tied to the products of local agriculture. The regionality of the food is therefore very important here.

THE OCCITAN CUISINE – SIMPLY SPECIAL

The origin of the anchovy trade-in Val Maira is the subject of legends and historical accounts. What is certain, however, is that salted anchovies have found their way into traditional Piedmontese cuisine as a dish called “bagna cuda”. The dish contains garlic — often also milk or cream — and its strong flavor enriches the seasonal vegetables. Potatoes are at the heart of the Occitan valley cuisine. Along with chestnuts, potatoes have always played an important role in the daily diet of farmers. Very popular today are the potatoes from Prazzo, which are quite small but very tasty. They are used to make the “raviolis”, a typical dish of the Occitan valleys. In the soup kitchen one knows for example “Il Comaut”, a kind of pumpkin cream soup with carrots, onions, milk, butter and sage. The “Zuppa antica” is prepared with chestnuts, nettles, mushrooms, garlic and barley. Even though these are old traditional dishes, they almost seem up-to-date, modern and somehow special. Another specialty of the Occitan valley cuisine is the production of butter, alpine cheese and cream cheese. Strong cheeses are often served with local honey, such as Castel Magno, a typical cheese from the mountain pastures of the region, which is one of Italy’s specialties. You can enjoy this cheese for example in the “Tavernetta di Sagna”, as a conclusion of an excellent meal from the Occitan cuisine. Typical desserts from the Occitan cuisine are apple pies, stuffed peaches or the famous “Torta di Tetti”.

FIND LUXURY IN SIMPLICITY

To revive the Occitan culture of the Maira Valley region is also the aim of the hotel operators of Locanda Mistral and Sagna Rotonda. They show us in their own way how simplicity can be luxury and how to combine tradition and modernity in a creative way. Giovanni, the owner of the eco-holiday village Sagna Rotonda, shows us that luxury can lie in simplicity. His restaurant La Tavernetta die Sagna Rotonda is also located in the midst of the unspoiled nature of the mountain valleys, where simple but delicious Piedmontese dishes are a delight. The restaurant is located in a typical old stone house. The vegetables for the dishes are sourced from the family’s own organic farm and the food is accompanied by regional organic wines.

Renato and Michaela 

Renato and Michaela have made it their business to combine tradition and modernity. Their idea is not only reflected in the architecture and design of the hotel and the rooms, but also in the hotel’s own restaurant. Typical Occitan or Piedmontese dishes are reinterpreted by the chef Manuela and transformed into new dishes with a lot of creativity. Most of the organic vegetables come from the hotel’s own garden. Dairy products such as cheese and butter are purchased from regional dairies, honey from the neighborhood and meat only from strictly certified Piedmontese farms. But above all, you can taste the love that is in all her dishes because she cooks with joy and enthusiasm.

The luxury is not only in the simplicity of the dishes but also in the location of the hotels. Because the landscape is still untouched, the architecture still authentic and the hotel operators bring a forgotten place and its traditions to life with enthusiasm and love.

Read more: Hoteliers close up: Tradition and modernity at the Locanda Mistral

Read more: Back to simplicity and untouched nature: the eco-village Sagna Rotonda in piedmont

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Der Beitrag A COMEBACK OF THE OCCITAN CULTURE IN PIEDMONT erschien zuerst auf GREEN TRAVEL BLOG.

With the admission of E-Scooters in German towns, the discussion about the distribution and use of urban space has flared up – and also cycle tracks play an important role.

The federal chairperson Ulrich Syberg of the German Cycling Club adfc confirms that Germany in comparison to some other countries (China, Russia, the USA) is doing quite well – but not in comparison to many others (the Netherlands, Denmark, Flanders): “But we are still far from being a bike friendly country. The convinced one cycle in spite of adverse infrastructure – but we have not gained the undecided yet. Different to the Netherlands, Denmark and Flanders Germany has not started to think about towns from the perspective of a biker. Our thinking and political action is still dominated by cars. ” (Source: adfc.de) Many Germans use the car for five, and often even less than two kilometers – distances which can be traveled easily with a bike. 

Hope remains that future regulations provide for an easy and safer bicycle traffic. What about vacation? Have you already been on vacation with your bike or have rented a bike on site? With these hotels and initiatives, you have a good partner at your side for your next bike vacation– no matter if you need electronic support or use your own muscular power 🙂

Bed+bike in Germany

An exciting initiative is “bed+bike” from adfc (general German bicycle club): No matter if you explore the holiday region from a stable accommodation, or drive with your bike from location to location, in the excellent accommodations you are in good hands with your bike. For the admission the hotels have to fulfil some criteria in regards to being bike service friendly which is: a lockable space for the safekeeping of the wheels, a dry space for the equipment and the supply of a base repair set. For the additional high-class label more criteria have to be fulfilled, as for example a bicycle rental company and loading stations for E bikes and Pedelecs. So far, we have not found any organization offering something similar worldwide.

Franconia by bike

One of the members is the Creativehotel Luise in Erlangen: you can lend bikes and also charge your E-bikes in the garage. On request you get lunches packages for your day tours, bicycle traveling maps and individual tips for your bicycle tours. One of the insider recommendations of Creativehotel Luise is the Regnitzradweg which connects the cities of Bamberg, Forchheim, Erlangen, Fürth and Nuremberg on two parallel routes with each other. Besides, there is a little longer valley route (passing by villages and provincial towns with Frankish half-timbered facades) and a shorter canal route, along the Main Danube canal or the Regnitz. And did you already know that Erlangen is recognized as Germany’s bike friendliest mid-sized town.

Explore the Albtal in the Northern Black Forest  

The SCHWARZWALD PANORAMA in Bad Herrenalb is also a member of bed+bike from adfc and fulfils all important criteria for bicycle vacationers including tips for tours and destinations: A popular bicycle tour in the Northern Black Forest leads from the SCHWARZWALD PANORAMA past an old cloister, sheep and cow meadows in the Albtal along to Ettlingen. After a short break in the small town you drive back through mystic forest to Bad Herenalb

You need a true challenge? Biking in the East Tyrolean Alps

You need a challenge and want to go for mountain bike to Easytrol in the Alps? Then the Naturhotel Outside is the perfect location: At the hotel you can lend E bikes as well as Fatbikes, in Mattei also classic mountain bikes. On account of many own experiences the hotel can provide you with tips and tours for the national park Hohe Tauern– whether for mountain bike tours or single-trails. If you like, you can take part also in an organized bicycle program with a guide. From May to November the Hotel Outside offers a package for  mountain bikers where E mountain bikes for two days are included.

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Der Beitrag Vacation by bike: Ideas for the world bicycle day erschien zuerst auf GREEN TRAVEL BLOG.