For many travelers, the quaint region of Goa is a restful respite where hippies and backpackers wile away the tepid days of the Indian subcontinent.  Hardly anyone travels here to engage in an active vacation, or, for that matter, much of anything that involves thinking or brain power whatsoever.   

Rachel Foster from The Observer, however, made the trek with some degree of purpose in mind: she came to take an 8-day cooking class. 

I learned about Indian food rather late in life and am now playing catch-up with the wonderful spices and yummy chutneys that comprise this amazing cuisine.  It was therefore with great interest that I read Foster’s exploits in tackling this fine style of cooking.  Her class divided its time between North Indian cuisine, South Indian cuisine, and more traditional national dishes.  There was a Goan twist to much of the cooking, and plenty of hot spices. 

I’ve never attended a cooking class abroad myself, but after reading Foster’s article, I’m placing India on my list of cooking class destinations, right after Italy and Thailand.  I was pleased to discover that the company she traveled with, On The Menu, offers classes in all these destinations and others like Vietnam, Morocco, and Jordan. 

Filed under: Food and Drink, India