Originally posted on April 13, 2016
Reposted on July 13, 2020 (because it is sincerely one of the best food travel experiences)

Academia Barilla: Food Tours & Cooking Classes in Parma

For Italian cuisine, Academia Barilla is the destination for food and cooking enthusiasts.

For a true immersion into a cuisine, professional food tours and cooking classes access the behind the scenes source of ingredients and local producers.
 

Parma, Italy

Located in Parma, a city in Emilia-Romagna, the region is known as an Italian food mecca. Prosciutto, cheese, balsamic vinegar, and everything essential to the traditions of the cuisine.

And, the base of Italian cooking is the pasta. Headquartered in Parma, Barilla is the world’s leading pasta maker.

The family-run multinational opened its doors in 2004 with the Academia Barilla to chefs, industry affiliates, and food lovers alike in their mission to promote Italian culture.

 

Choose your tour’s theme

With your choice of food tours and cooking classes from one day to one week, visitors are fully immersed in the culture, heritage, and authenticity of the region.

Food tours start with a showcase local producers of cheese, ham, and wine. After walking through the factories, guests indulge in a hands-on cooking class to bring their experience and new knowledge back home.

 

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Parmigiano Reggiano factory
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Forming the cheese
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Testing the consistency
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Tying up the cheese cloth
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The sacks of cheese arriving by machine to be shaped
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Resting and aging
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Inside the solution
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Marked by age
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The official signage of the region
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The cheese bank
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Rotated by machine
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Gradations of age from pale to darker
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The depth of each aisle
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The official markings and dates unique to each wheel
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Tasting a wedge after the factory tour
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Introduction to pig parts in the Parma ham factory
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A series of resting rooms
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Another set of curing rooms
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Greasing with lard
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Close up of the cured hams
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Almost ready to be sold
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Cuts beyond the legs
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Vineyard for wine tasting
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Barrels of fun
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Tanks of Malvasia and Lambrusco
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Bottles of Malvasia and Lambrusco
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A tasting feast of cheese, charcuteries, and fried dough paired with Malvasia and Lambrusco
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The Academia Barilla auditorium
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Gastronomic Library with original Italian cookbooks and menus
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Training kitchens
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Demo kitchen
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Recipes for the hands-on cooking class
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Chef Tommaso demonstrating and cooking dishes
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Explaining the thicknesses of pasta
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Teaching practical cooking techniques
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Filling raviolis
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Complete with a beautiful egg inside
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Teaching, demonstrating, and photogenic
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Placing the top layer of pasta
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Cooked simply in butter and sage
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Eating and drinking while enjoying the class
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Plating our seasonal dessert

 
Academia Barilla | Website | TripAdvisor

 

 
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