A Hands-On Culinary Experience in North Bali
Lovina is definitely the best place for you in case you like to be hands-on in local cooking and the local cuisine with the real flavour of the Balinese culture. In the northern part of Bali, Lovina is a quiet location where nature is abundant. It is the treasure of not just the beaches but also the spot to explore the delicious Balinese dishes that are still on the table. You will not just read about it, but you will be trained and guided by the chefs that are marketing their cookbooks in your local supermarket. Your friendly chef will teach you how to prepare the food in the traditional way and will also give you information about production that is done by him personally. During the class, you will receive not only the knowledge of cooking the local traditional dishes but also the information about the farmers' daily life from the chef. Your fellow travellers can be a good audience and a taste judge if you have successfully transferred the information in the class to your cooking.
Start at the Local Market
When you join a traditional market visit, this activity helps you get acquainted with a new place; you will get to know not only the market but the local people as well. So, starting from a local market visit, you will have the chance to know the people behind that delicious food, take a look at the producer's face, even if virtually, and at least say thanks to those who are actively contributing the food's ingredients. On a good day at the market, you would have a first-hand experience of their colourful, lively, and busy environment. You would also be able to observe the way they bargain and take a crash course as well regarding what a fine variety of local products are available. Teasing out each flavour in every dish is therefore one result of the spice combination, and another is that every spice has a particular function in the dish.
Cooking in a Traditional Setting
Then, you will be brought to the kitchen, housed, as is usually the case, within a very picturesque garden or beautifully traditional Balinese home. The step-by-step process by which a typical Balinese meal is prepared with the guidance of the expert chef yields a rich experience. The chopping, grinding, and stirring that you will do while preparing the food will be your first-hand experience of the culture and farming life of the region. You can feel the serene vibe of the environment that brings to you the connection between nature and the food; that makes it a real experiential learning and a sense of epiphany that one is sure to remember most.
Learn Local Techniques and Secrets
One of the showstoppers of the lessons is acquiring Balinese techniques of cooking. One such example of following the tradition is the making of spices. Instead of using a blender, they usually do this grinding with their hands to train you. It is a fine way to mix directly, and then the aroma mixing is there, and after that, with the release of clots of paste, the mixing ends. And the icing on the cake is the sharing of local tips and tricks you can use anywhere, giving you the confidence in the world to cook your homemade dishes with the flavour of Bali in them.
Enjoy the Meal and Take Home New Skills
Once the cooking task is done, you will move to the dining area to enjoy the meal that you've just prepared. Taking part in a Balinese traditional meal sharing with others and the entire cooking staff is a remarkable and obviously gratifying way of closing the session. You won't just get recipes, but you will obtain a strong understanding of the Balinese culture and food heritage, something that you are not able to forget after your stay in Lovina.