PRIVATE Merida Market Tour & Yucatecan Cooking Class with Sofia

Sofia will pick you up from your Merida hotel and drive you to Chuburná Market for your private market tour. Discover the regional produce on offer and pick up a few ingredients for your authentic in-home cooking lesson. Join Sofia in her kitchen for a hands-on cooking lesson of Yucatecan and Mayan delicacies. You will learn to prepare traditional recipes from scratch - dishes such as sikil pak (roasted tomato and pumpkin seed salsa), sopa de lima (chicken soup), empanadas de chaya, and pollo o cochinita pibil (perhaps the Yucatan’s most famous dish of slow-cooked chicken or pork which has been marinated in an achiote and sour orange marinade, wrapped in banana leaves) - so be ready to get your hands dirty! You will learn to cook a traditional meal as well as a fiery habanero salsa. After cooking, enjoy the delicious meal you helped prepare with Sofia.  Please note that families in Mexico can be very social so you may be joined by members of Sofia's family who stop by on occasion.

Explore a local Mérida market with Sofia and discover the fresh produce, spices, and ingredients at the heart of Yucatecan cuisine. Then return to her home for a private hands-on cooking class, where you'll transform your market finds into traditional dishes before sitting down together to enjoy your homemade meal. After convenient pick-up in Mérida, visit Chuburná Market, where locals shop for fresh produce, spices, and regional ingredients. As you browse the market together, Sofia will introduce you to ingredients unique to the Yucatán and select a few items for your cooking class. Back in Sofia’s home kitchen, learn to prepare traditional Yucatecan and Mayan dishes that reflect the region’s rich cultural heritage, shaped by Indigenous Maya, Spanish, and European influences. Your menu may include sikil pak con tostadas (a pumpkin seed dip), empanadas de chaya con queso de bola, and pollo or cochinita pibil, a classic achiote-marinated dish slow cooked in banana leaves. After cooking, sit down to enjoy the meal you helped prepare, accompanied by local beer and conversation. Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, and lactose-free diets can be accommodated with advance notice.

• Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
• Public transportation options are available nearby
• This is not a professional cooking school or chef-led culinary course. Rather, it is an opportunity to visit a local market, authentic local home, connect with a Mérida resident, and share Yucatecan culture, traditions, and cuisine together.
• This experience takes place in Sofia's private home, which also operates as a homestay. Your cooking class is private, though other guests may be present on the property.
• Sofia's home does not have air-conditioning. During warmer months, the kitchen can become hot while cooking.

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.