In small villages, bigger towns and even large cities throughout Europe, the local marketplace is one of my favorite places to visit. Markets pulse with the energy of the hard-working local produce farmers and fish mongers as they bring their goods to market. The choosy shoppers carefully select and bargain for the ingredients that go into their favorite recipes. I love the mounds of colorful produce stacked in a perfect pyramid, the fresh fish laid out on a bed of ice and bags of exotic spices that will be blended to make the unique flavors of the region’s cuisine. Local markets are the very heart of European life and the perfect place to begin a culinary discovery tour of a region.

Oceania Culinary Discovery Tours

Oceania Cruises is a cruise line with a foodie heart! And now they have designed a collection of unique Culinary Discovery Tours™ that take guests to shop local markets with a master chef, taste the true flavors of the region in local homes and restaurants, and then teach them techniques of the local cuisine in a cooking class back onboard in the Bon Appétit Culinary Center. The Culinary Discovery Tours reap the benefit of an expert chef’s local knowledge and provide a delightful immersion into the gastronomic culture of the destination. Guests enjoy enhancing their culinary skills but they also get a privileged peek into the lives – and food – of real people who live – and cook – in fascinating destinations known for their unique cuisine.

Some favorite Oceania Culinary Discovery Tours include:

• Cadiz, Spain – Cadiz Market Visit & Andalusian Cuisine
• Corfu, Greece – Culinary Traditions & Greek Cooking
• Aghios Nikolaos (Crete), Greece – Discover Traditional Cretan Cuisine
• Helsinki, Finland – Historic Food Market & Cooking Classes
• Livorno, Italy – Livorno Food Markets & Tuscan Cooking Class
• Marseille, France – The Exquisite Flavors of Provence

An Oceania Culinary Discovery Tour is a special opportunity to explore, learn and savor with an Oceania master chef to lead the way. To find out which Oceania luxury voyages offer these one-of-a-kind excursions, contact Covington’s expert cruise advisors and let your culinary discovery begin!