Sicilian Cooking Class in Palermo: Learn 4 Dishes

Trapani pesto tastes nothing like the green one you know.

A four-and-a-half-hour cooking class in Palermo where you shop at a local market with your guide, then cook four complete Sicilian dishes together in a historic building while drinking local wines. The class includes lunch or dinner depending on your start time, and runs in English, Spanish, Italian or French. Children from age 2 are welcome, and vegetarian options are available on request.

The experience

The morning starts at a local market where you and your Sicilian cook pick out the ingredients for the day. You walk ten minutes to the historic home where the class takes place, then begin cooking together. Over the next few hours you prepare caponata, a stew of eggplants, onions, capers and green olives with the distinctive agrodolce (sweet-and-sour) taste that defines the dish, and busiate al pesto trapanese: a hand-rolled pasta shape from Trapani paired with a local pesto that bears no resemblance to the Genovese version most people know. Two more dishes round out a complete Sicilian menu.

Wine flows throughout: you taste local Sicilian wines as you cook and learn how they pair with what you're making. Lunch or dinner (depending on whether you book a morning or afternoon departure) is the meal you've prepared, eaten together in the same space where you made it. The guide speaks your language (English, Spanish, Italian or French), and can accommodate vegetarian preferences if you mention them when booking. Groups larger than twenty can arrange a class by emailing ahead.

What’s included

• Wine tasting with local Sicilian wines.
• lunch or dinner (the meal you cook).
• cooking instruction in your choice of English, Spanish, Italian or French.
• vegetarian options available on request.

Before you book

Days and timesMonday, Tuesday, Wednesday and FridayDeparts at 09:30

AgesAdult (13 and older) · Child (2 to 12 years)

GroupUp to 20

Live guideEnglish, Spanish, French and Italian

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 28 days ago

Good to know

Stroller-friendly

Operated by Siciliandays

Is this one for you?Book a morning departure if you want to shop the market when it's most lively and have lunch as your cooked meal. Choose an afternoon start if dinner suits your schedule better. The class works for families with children from age 2 onward, though very young children will need a stroller or carrier since you'll be walking to the market and standing while cooking.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English, Spanish, French and Italian.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (2 to 12 years).

What exactly do I cook in this class?

You prepare four dishes that make up a full Sicilian meal: caponata (the eggplant and olive stew), busiate al pesto trapanese (hand-rolled pasta with Trapani pesto), and two additional dishes the guide selects based on the market's offerings that day and any dietary preferences you've noted.

Do I need cooking experience to join?

No experience is required. The class is built around learning as you cook alongside your Sicilian guide, who teaches you the techniques and the stories behind each dish as you work through them together.

What's included in the price?

The class includes the market visit, all ingredients, the cooking lesson, wine tasting throughout, and the lunch or dinner you prepare. A parking fee is payable separately at check-in if you're driving.

How long does the whole experience take?

The class runs four and a half hours from start to finish, including the market visit, cooking, and eating the meal you've made together.