Cooking story in Moldova

About Tour

We will cook almost each day and while the dish is being boiled, grilled or baked we will visit several sites in the neighborhood. Each time two different cooking techniques will be tried, in order to give a flavor of competition to the participants split in two teams. We will eat and enjoy dishes we have prepared, along with 2 typical wines from the region. These master classes will be held in local pensions, where you will meet farmers and enjoy chatting with them.

1 er día

Arrival in Chisinau

Visitas incluidas:

  • Museum of Natural History and Ethnography,
  • the Central Park and the Alley of Moldovan literature classics,
  • the monument of Steven the Great and Saint,
  • Great National Assembly Square,
  • the Triumph Arch,
  • the “Nativity” Cathedral,
  • the Organ Hall,
  • the Market of souvenirs, etc.
  • Welcome dinner and introduction in the peculiarities of Moldovan cuisine

Comida incluida:
  • Dinner
2 º día

Meet the old Russian believers

Visitas incluidas:

  • Drive to the north of the country, to meet the old Russian believers community being quite isolated, trying to keep their traditions alive. They came to the region about 200 years ago, settled down here and since then, they form a quite prosperous village.
  • Have lunch in an old believer family, discuss about Old Russian recipes and taste several original dishes. For desert, we will get the highlight taste of the day - local homemade raspberry jam, unique in the world.
  • Continue to Soroca
  • Visit one of the must see sights of Soroca:“The Gypsy Hill” that features mansions inspired by the Bolshoi theatre, St Peter's Basilica and the US Capitol building. We shall visit a Gypsy family, who will proudly share their culture and traditions with us.
  • Possibility to try a traditional Gypsy desert and their homemade “compot” (juice made of boiled fresh fruits).
  • Free dinner and accommodation in Soroca.

Comida incluida:
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
3 er día

A special cooking lesson

Visitas incluidas:

  • Visit the Soroca fortress, a unique monument of architecture, built in the Medieval Ages at the Dniester River bend as part of a huge Moldovan defensive system. Initially wooden, it was built of stone at the end of 15thcentury according to the “Golden Section” supreme law of harmony that made it unique among the examples of European military architecture.
  • Drive to Chateau Vartely, considered one of the best Moldovan wineries from the Center of our Republic.
  • Have a light lunch at Chateau Vartely Winery, with wine tasting that will also include their flag product – the ice wine.
  • Prepare the best known Moldovan dish – “sarmale”. The group will be split in 2 teams: one will make sour cabbage rolls filled with rice and meat. The second team will do the same, but rolls of grape leaves. After we prepare everything, the hostess will put them in the oven for 3 hours at least
  • Touring the Archeological Complex Orheiul Vechi (Old Orhei)
  • Visit the cave monastery in the neighborhood. This Cave Monastery is "arguably Moldova's most fantastic sight". Here you’ll see an Orthodox cave monastery called “St. Maria Dormata” expanded and modified inside the cliffs by the monks over the centuries and preserved in a functional state nowadays.
  • Go for dinner where we will enjoy local food, local plum brandy , local wines and obviously we will eat our “sarmale“.
  • Accommodation in Butuceni Eco Resort.

Comida incluida:
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch with wine tasting
  • Dinner
4 to día

Another cooking lesson

Visitas incluidas:

  • Learn about the Moldovan traditional costumes and ethnographic customs at "Casa Parinteasca" Craft Centre from Palanca village.
  • Learn how to bake bread in a wood-fired oven and a traditional forgotten desert – Alivanca.
  • Visit the Honey Museum from Raciula, learn about the life of bees, taste different kinds of honey and other honey products.
  • Coming back to ”Casa Parinteasca” Museum we will enjoy a very special lunch, trying also the bread and desert we have made. Traditional dishes will be served with the best local wine, while the organic herbal tea, accompanied by quince jam which will surprise you with its amazing taste.
  • Visit 1-2 monasteries from the region,
  • Continue to Chisinau,
  • Free dinner and accommodation.

Comida incluida:
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
5 to día

Next cooking adventure

Visitas incluidas:

  • Visit the very new renovated – Castle Mimi, which is currently listed among the most beautiful architectural masterpieces in the world of wine. The story of the castle begins in 1893 when Constantin Mimi, the last governor of Bessarabia, planted the first grape vines on the place that would become legend over the years.
  • Excursion, wine tasting and lunch in the castle.
  • Learn how to cook the famous Moldavian “Placinte” - pies with cheese, potatoes and cabbage at Et Cetera Winery.
  • Meanwhile the pies will bake in the oven, we shall visit the Purcari winery. Purcari is the oldest wine estate in Moldova, established in 1827. The winery has a long and proud history producing some of Moldova’s most iconic wines i.e. Negru de Purcari and Rosu de Purcari.
  • Excursion and wine tasting at Purcari Chateau
  • Come back to Et Cetera to enjoy our dinner. The vineyards of ’Et Cetera‘ were planted in 2003 in the village of Crocmaz, with a unique micro-zone, ideal by its climatic condition for growing best vineyards. The winery was built in 2009 and now 50 ha of vineyards surround it, giving a picturesque view to the visitors. Et Cetera is one of the best wineries in Moldova, if not the best one, as in 2016 they won second price at Decanter World Wine Awards with their Chardonnay.
  • Accommodation in Et Cetera and Purcari Chateau.

Comida incluida:
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch with wine tasting
  • Dinner
6 to día

Day trip in Odessa

Visitas incluidas:

  • Full Guided Sightseeing Odessa Tour. Odessa is acknowledged Ukrainian intersection point of diverse cultures, languages and trades.
  • Witness masterpieces of architecture, such as famous
  • Opera and Ballet theatre, designed by Viennese architects,
  • Potemkin Stairs,
  • Primorsky boulevard,
  • the One-wall building.
  • Enjoy the view of Sea Port Terminal,
  • Get acquainted with Odessa Port’s history, its present life and prospects from the upside,
  • See the Monument to Duke De Richelieu - the founder of Odessa,
  • The Monument to Catherine the Great empress-the founder of Odessa etc. Lunch and coming back to Moldova.

Comida incluida:
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
7 to día

7

Visitas incluidas:

  • Have a Cheese tasting at Popeasca farm. This is one of the first few registered cheese trademarks made organically in Moldova. The sheep run freely on the fields here, the cheese produced is either salted, or flavored with small cut bell peppers, herbs or spices to produce a special taste...
  • Arrive in Chisinau,
  • Free time for lunch,
  • City tour of Chisinau.
  • Special farewell dinner in a local wine bar specialized in promoting quality Moldovan wines produced by small producers.

Comida incluida:
  • Breakfast
  • Dinner
8 to día

Departure home

Visitas incluidas:

Check out. Transfer to the airport.

Comida incluida:

Breakfast

Lo qué Dice la jente

Más referencias ›

Qué vacaciones tan maravillosas. Todo estuvo bien organizado y salió bien.

La guía, Cristina, fue excelente, buen inglés y muy conocedora y entusiasta de que deberíamos ver todos los aspectos culturales y característicos de Moldavia.

La visita a la "familia" romaní fue fascinante, no una visita "familiar", sino una reunión con el jefe de familia romaní en su enorme casa adornada y rica, y tuvimos un delicioso jugo de cereza casero y tuvimos una sesión de preguntas y respuestas con él. Él, Robert, es pariente del rey romaní. Esto fue muy informativo, ya que estoy muy interesada en todos y en todo, pero los turistas deben estar interesados ​​en los romaníes y en su forma de vida; de lo contrario, ¡los comentarios no serían tan fascinantes!

La visita al pueblo de los "viejos creyentes" fue simplemente un excelente té de un samovar y pasteles, y una mujer muy agradable, la bibliotecaria y el custodio del museo.

En Gaugazia nos encontramos con el curador del museo y nuevamente una visión fascinante de la historia de Gaugazia.

Gran parte de nuestro disfrute y conocimiento fue realzado por Cristina, quien tradujo todo muy bien.

Las visitas a las bodegas fueron una revelación y la cata de vinos también. Recomiendo a los turistas que vayan a la bodega Cricova que usen ropa abrigada y una bufanda mientras se adentra en la "ciudad" subterránea para ver el vino almacenado.

Nos encantó la comida (y todo el vino).

Querida Victoria!

¡No hay suficientes adjetivos en el mundo para describir adecuadamente la experiencia de hacer una visita con usted! Ciertamente ha mejorado mi aprecio por su país. Aprendí mucho de ti en muchos niveles diferentes. Sus habilidades de organización son extraordinarias y Explore definitivamente recibirá comentarios extremadamente positivos. Tuvimos mucha suerte de tenerte con nosotros durante este corto viaje.

Gracias una vez más por todo lo que hiciste tan hermosamente con gracia, humor y sonrisa. Les deseo a todos y solo lo mejor por ahora y para el futuro.

Estoy muy contenta y agradecida con la cooperación que hemos tenido durante estos 3 años. Todos nuestros turistas, grupos e individuos, quedaron satisfechos con su trabajo. Una de las principales cosas que aprecio en ti es la siguiente: no importa de qué categoría sean los clientes: turistas, VIP, delegaciones gubernamentales o incluso organizaciones internacionales (como OSCE), puedes encontrar las mejores palabras, la mejor manera, la mejor "dirección" a cada uno de ellos para que se interesen en la información dada.

En cada revisión que recibimos de nuestros clientes habían palabras de agradecimiento a sus servicios. Algunos de nuestros socios, incluso de antemano, nos piden que lo elijamos como guía para sus grupos. ¡Gracias por su profesionalismo y esperando la futura cooperación!