Valladolid: Mayan Cooking Class with 5 Dishes

Immerse yourself in the flavors of the Yucatan with a Mayan cooking class in a rural community. Learn to cook with techniques and recipes passed down through generations.

Begin by meeting your hosts in a Maya village on the outskirts of Valladolid. After being welcomed by the members of the community, take part in a Maya cooking class where you'll make 5 ancestral dishes. Use fresh ingredients to cook as people did in pre-Columbian times.

Start by making tzotobichay, a chaya and pumpkin seed tamale. Next, learn to make sikil pák, a pumpkin seed and tomato pasta. Continue by making píbil kaax, a recipe which combines marinated chicken with sour oranges, achiote, and spices, which is then wrapped in banana leaves and placed in an oven in the ground.

Next, make an encamisado. This recipe involves making a tortilla by hand, which is then filled with meat, vegetables, and other typical ingredients. To finish off, make a traditional Yucatan dessert by following a Maya recipe consisting of cacao, honey, cinnamon, and piloncillo.

After trying this delicious dessert, bring this cooking class to an end after a total of 3 hours.