Antigua Cooking Class: Pepian & Market Tour with Family
Cook in a family kitchen, not a studio kitchen
A hands-on cooking class in San Miguel Escobar, near Antigua, where you prepare Pepián (Guatemala's ceremonial stew), handmade tortillas, rice and traditional mole in a local family's home, then share the meal with them. The morning includes a guided tour of Antigua's market with a fresh fruit tasting, plus transport by vehicle or colorful chicken bus to the family's kitchen.
Options for this experience
2 optionsWhat’s included
- Kitchen utensils and all ingredients for cooking.
- a printed recipe to take home.
- fresh fruit tasting at the market.
- lunch or dinner depending on your reservation time.
- live guide in English or Spanish.
Times
- Every day 09:00 14:00
Before you book
Operated by B1 Experience
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The experience
The day starts in Antigua's market, where a guide walks you through the colorful stalls, pointing out the ingredients you'll use later and letting you taste fresh local fruit. From there, you travel by vehicle or take the iconic chicken bus to San Miguel Escobar, a short ride into the surrounding communities. This is not a cooking studio. You're stepping into a real family's kitchen, the place where they cook their own meals.
Once you arrive, the family teaches you to make three dishes from scratch. Pepián is Guatemala's signature stew, declared a cultural heritage dish and served at weddings and ceremonial events. You'll learn the technique and the spice balance that makes it work. Alongside it, you'll shape and cook handmade corn tortillas and prepare rice. For dessert, you make a traditional Guatemalan sweet that blends Spanish and Mayan flavors. All the ingredients and kitchen tools are there waiting. A printed recipe goes home with you so you can cook these dishes again.
When everything is ready, you sit down at the family's table and eat what you made together. This is where the cooking stops being instruction and becomes a meal, a conversation, and the kind of memory that stays. You'll have time to take photos, ask questions, and hear stories about how these recipes fit into daily life and celebration in Guatemala.
Is this one for you?Choose this class if you want to cook in an actual family home rather than a commercial kitchen, and if the market visit and chicken bus ride matter as much to you as the cooking itself. The four-hour span fits a morning or afternoon, leaving the rest of your day free in Antigua.
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Top questions
What languages is the tour guided in?
Live guide in English and Spanish.
Can children come?
Yes. Ticket types: Youth (11 to 13 years); Child (6 to 10 years); Infant (under 6): free.
What happens if it rains?
It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.
What exactly is Pepián and why is it important in Guatemala?
Pepián is Guatemala's ceremonial stew, officially declared a cultural heritage dish of the country. It's served at weddings, brotherhoods and special events, and you'll prepare it from scratch in the family's kitchen using the traditional method and ingredients.
Do I need cooking experience to join this class?
No experience is required. The family guides you through each step of making the Pepián, tortillas, rice and mole, so beginners and experienced cooks both learn the authentic technique.
What happens at Antigua's market before we cook?
A guide takes you through the vibrant market stalls, showing you the local ingredients you'll use in the kitchen later and letting you taste fresh fruit. It's a chance to see where Guatemalans shop and to understand the flavors that go into the meal you'll prepare.
Can I choose between vegetarian and chicken Pepián?
Yes. When you book, you choose either vegetarian Pepián or chicken Pepián, and the family prepares the version you selected.
Is the meal included, or do I just cook and leave?
The meal is included. After you finish cooking, you sit down with the family and eat all the dishes you made together (Pepián, tortillas, rice and dessert), as part of the experience.
How do we get to San Miguel Escobar from Antigua?
Transport is included. You travel by vehicle or can ride the colorful chicken bus, the iconic local public transport that gives you a real taste of daily life in the region.
Antigua Cooking Class: Pepian & Market Tour with Family
4h · EN · ES
from US$ 50 per person
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