Cooking and dining with Sophia was a pleasure. She truly loves Yucatecan culture and is very knowledgeable about its history, traditions, and especially food! I especially enjoyed learning about the differences between Mayan and Yucatecan cuisine. Sophia also has a flare for plating, so a camera is a must!

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Market Tour

Meet your friendly, English-speaking guide in downtown Merida and walk together for 10 minutes to Mercado Lucas de Galvez. The iconic Mercado Lucas de Gálvez is one of the main markets in Merida. Almost everything you can think of is on offer – fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, condiments, clothes, local handicrafts etc. Walk around the market with your guide and be introduced to local, seasonal produce while you interact with the vendors and learn about the gastronomy of the region. Taste a few local fruits and buy a few ingredients from the market, before you catch the local bus (public transportation) to Leo’s modest home, for your Merida cooking class. Leo’s home is 25 minutes from the market in a small village. Upon arrival she will welcome you to her home kitchen, where you will cook a traditional Yucatecan meal together. <br><br>In you 2-hour Yucatecan cooking class in Merida, learn to make three dishes from scratch. This is a hands-on cooking class where you will master traditional cooking techniques and transform fresh ingredients into delightful preparations. Leo will guide you every step of the way, while the guide shares stories and cultural insights that bring the history behind each dish to life. The three dishes that you will learn to cook in your Merida cooking class are an appetizer, empanadas or guacamole or sikil pak (roasted tomato and pumpkin seed dip); a main dish, pollo pibil (pibil style chicken) or papadzules (similar to enchiladas) or calabaza frita (fried pumpkin) and dessert, coconut cream. After cooking, sit down at the dining table to share the meal you helped prepare, which will be served with water, lemonade or horchata (refreshing Mexican drink made with ground rice, milk and cinnamon) or pineapple juice or beer. <br><br>Please note the menu may change, it is seasonal and depends on the availability of ingredients at the market, it is also pre-selected by Leo based on your dietary restrictions. At the end of the experience, your guide will accompany you by taxi or local bus back to the meeting location (Hotel Caribe), a 20 minute journey.

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Market Tour

Travel inland from the port in Progreso and discover the culture through food, in this Mexican cooking class in Merida in a local home. We recommend this Merida Shore Excursions, for a true and authentic taste of Mexico. Step into the home of Sofia, a local with a passion for sharing her cooking, culture and traditions. There is no better way of learning and discovering than from a direct source, and when Sofia shares her love of what she does best you will remember this day forever. <br><br>In your Merida cooking class, you will work side by side with Sofia in her own kitchen as she teaches you how to make traditional Yucatecan dishes from scratch, such as sikilpak (ground pumpkin seed dip) and codzitos (Yucatecan appetizer) or empanadas de chaya and panuchos y salbut (tortilla with shredded chicken and garnished with lettuce and onion) or tacos al pastor. And of course, no lesson in Yucatecan cooking would not be complete without the famous fiery habanero salsa! Once all the dishes are prepared you will sit down and enjoy the fruits of your labors, along with a delicious local beer.

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Cooking Experience