Peruvian Cooking Classes
Prepare traditional Andean dishes using ingredients from the Sacred Valley
Overview
What Is This Cooking Class?
This cooking class takes place in Ollantaytambo and offers a hands-on introduction to Peruvian cuisine and food culture. Beginning with a visit to the local market, you’ll explore the ingredients used in traditional dishes before preparing a full meal from scratch.
Through cooking, conversation, and shared meals, you’ll gain insight into how food connects to daily life in the Sacred Valley and the traditions that shape everyday cooking in the Andes.
It’s a small-group experience that offers a more grounded way to engage with local culture while staying in Ollantaytambo.
What You’ll Do
Visit the Local Market in Ollantaytambo
Begin with a visit to the local market in Ollantaytambo, where you’ll explore regional ingredients and learn how markets continue to shape food, trade, and daily life in the Sacred Valley.
Learn About Peruvian Ingredients
Your guide will introduce you to ingredients commonly used in traditional Peruvian cooking, including products connected to agriculture and food traditions throughout the Andes.
Prepare Traditional Peruvian Dishes
Head to the Awamaki kitchen for a hands-on cooking session where you’ll prepare a traditional Peruvian meal from scratch, often including:
Cook Alongside Local Instructors
Cook alongside a local chef and guide, receiving step-by-step instruction in a small group setting that allows for questions, conversation, and cultural exchange.
Enjoy the Meal You Prepared
Sit down together and enjoy the dishes you’ve created, turning the experience into a shared meal rather than just a class.
Take Recipes Home with You
Leave with a recipe book so you can recreate the dishes and remember the experience after your trip.
Sample Itinerary
- Meet your guide in Ollantaytambo main plaza
- Walk through the local market to select ingredients
- Learn about regional foods and cooking traditions
- Return to the Awamaki kitchen
- Prepare a traditional drink, starter, and main dish
- Sit down to enjoy the meal together
- Wrap up and receive recipe materials
Sustainable Tours
Why This Experience Is Different
Many cooking classes focus only on recipes. This experience is designed around the ingredients, traditions, and daily practices connected to food in the Sacred Valley.
With a guided visit through the local market in Ollantaytambo and small-group, hands-on instruction from local teachers and cultural guides, the class connects cooking to the broader cultural and agricultural traditions of the Andes.
Is This Experience Right for You?
This experience is ideal for travelers who:
If you’re interested in learning more about traditional crafts, you may also consider our Traditional Weaving Experience in the Sacred Valley.
You can also explore ALL CULTURAL TOURS to compare options based on your schedule, interests, and desired level of immersion.
How Your Visit Supports Local Communities
Your participation contributes to:
These classes are designed to connect visitors with the people, ingredients, and food traditions behind the meal.
Additional Details
Includes
- Local cooking instructor
- English-speaking guide/interpreter
- Market visit
- All cooking ingredients
- Traditional drink, appetizer, and main dish
- Recipe booklet
What To Bring
- An appetite
- Cash for optional market purchases
Notes
- Vegetarian options available
- Small-group format
- Class begins with a guided market visit in Ollantaytambo
Ready to go
Book Your Peruvian Cooking Class
Prepare traditional Andean dishes through a small-group cooking experience in Ollantaytambo.
