Andalusia Culinary Tour with Seville Cooking Class and Iberico Ham Visits ULIB04

Personal Highlights:

• A market visit and cooking class in Seville
• Tasting the best Sherry and Seafood in Sanlucar de Barrameda
• Visiting the private ranch where the Iberico Hams are produced
• Savoring a “picoteo” in the former chapel of an old convent in Zafra

Day 1 Depart USA

This evening we board our overnight flight to Seville to begin our exploration in search of the Iberico Ham. 

Day 2 Arrival in Seville

Welcome to Seville. This is a city steeped in romance on an operatic scale: Carmen was set here as was Don Giovanni and not one, but two, Barber of Seville operas by two composers (Rossini and Paisiello). Our driver will be waiting for our arrival and will take us on an orientation tour of the city before dropping us off at our hotel where we have a chance to relax before dinner.                              

Day 3 Learning to Cook, Seville Style!

We get our culinary adventure off to a fast start by joining our chef/instructor for a morning trip to the market where we will pick the ingredients needed for the preparation of our lunch. We return to the kitchen where, with hands on personalized attention, we learn the skills, ingredients and techniques needed to create the cuisine of Seville. After completion of our feast we eat it accompanied by fine local wines. The afternoon is at leisure to allow you to walk off lunch by exploring the historical area surrounding our hotel or perhaps just giving in, catching a nap, and blaming it on the jetlag.

Day 4 Sherry and Seafood in Sanlucar de Barrameda

Today we drive to Sanlucar de Barrameda which is the second town producing Sherry but less visited by tourists than its sister city, Jerez. While it is a similar distance from Seville as Jerez, it has a spectacular location at the mouth of the Guadalquivir River looking across the Donana national park to the Atlantic Ocean. It is because of this that the town is equally known for its fine seafood.

We will start with a visit to the vineyards where the grapes are cultivated. Among the many varieties of Sherries produced the Manzanilla stands out; similar to a Fino, but with a slightly salty taste making it an excellent accompaniment for fresh fish. After inspecting the vineyards we will be taken to the bodega where the Sherry is blended and fortified and stored in wooden casks which are stored for maturation. Here we will get a tutored tasting so that we will begin to know the various types of Sherry. After the tasting we are taken to one of the seafood restaurants along the bank of the estuary where we will indulge in langoustines, shellfish, fine fried fish, seafood and other regional cuisine, all washed down with the finest Manzanilla. We return in the afternoon where the rest of the day is at leisure.

Day 5 Sierra de Aracena, home to the Iberico Pig

Today we encounter the Iberico Pig in its natural habitat, the open ranges of the Sierra de Aracena with oak filled groves where this unique breed of pigs is fed solely and naturally on acorns in the field. This particular breed of pigs, famous for their black hooves as well as their black skin and hair are descendants of the Mediterranean wild boar. This breeding, combined with the diet and the climate of this Mediterranean forest, result in the “caviar” of cured hams the Jamon Iberico, a standard in all Spanish Tapas bars and now becoming known to gourmets worldwide as “the best ham in the world”. We will first visit a private ranch where we see the pigs in their natural habitat feeding on acorns, grass and aromatic plants. We will then continue to Aracena where we try some of the local product in a typical rural restaurant. Our last stop is in the town of Jabugo where we visit the facilities where the hams are cured and stored. We will see the hams hanging in the cave and have a chance to further taste this superlative product. We than continue to Zafra and our hotel.                                                  

Day 6 Zafra and Jerez de Los Caballeros

After breakfast we will explore the medieval town of Zafra which is still unknown to many visitors. We will visit its squares and baroque monuments before taking an excursion to the nearby town of Jerez de los Caballeros and its famous towers. We stop for lunch in the former chapel of an old convent. We will have a “picoteo”, the Spanish way of having an informal lunch sharing a variety of “raciones” which are large versions of Tapas. We then return to Zafra.                             

Day 7 Cordoba Finale

Our driver will be ready to drive us to the renowned city of Cordoba. After lunch we will visit the old Jewish quarter which goes back to the days of the Romans and the Goths. We then visit what was the 3rd largest mosque in the world which was converted into a catholic cathedral in the 13th century when the moors were expelled from Spain. Ironically, the mosque itself was built from stone and marble taken from Roman pagan temples. This evening we celebrate our epicurean experience with a farewell dinner in the most prestigious restaurant in Cordoba.  

Day 8 Return to US

After breakfast our driver will be waiting to take us to the airport for our return flight to the US.  

Services Included

• 1st Class rail travel as indicated on the itinerary
• Superior Rooms at the properties indicated in the accommodations area (We reserve the right to substitute a property of equal quality in advance of departure should the designated hotel be unavailable)
• Private Transfers to and from the airport or rail station at destination
• All meals as indicated on the itinerary by B=Breakfast, L=Lunch and D=Dinner
• Private guides for city explorations and private driver/guide while traveling.
• Entrance fees to all museums, attractions and other venues as indicated on the daily itinerary
• Baggage handling at all hotels
• All applicable taxes and service fees

Services Not Included

• International airfare (round-trip from hometown departure gateway to destination)
• Beverages with included meals (unless otherwise indicated on itinerary page)
• Any meals not indicated on the Itinerary page
• Items of a personal nature e.g. minibar, film, postcards etc.
• Gratuities to Guides and Driver/Guides (we provide suggested guidelines for your selected destination in your pre-departure material)
• Any passport or visa fees or government departure taxes (It is the traveler’s responsibility to secure the latest information regarding passports and visa requirements)

Available Year Round