Petra Cooking Class: Learn Jordanian Dishes with Family

You learn to cook by cooking, not by watching a demonstration.

A cooking class in Petra where you join Um Ayemen's family in their home kitchen to prepare and eat traditional Jordanian dishes. You choose your activities (visit the local market for ingredients, bake bread, or cook favorites like mansaf and maqlouba), then gather around the table to share the meal you helped create. Arabic coffee, mint tea, and homemade sweets are included. The guide speaks English or Arabic.

The experience

Um Ayemen's kitchen is set up for hands-on cooking, not demonstration. You arrive to Arabic coffee and settle into the family home, then pick which dishes to make: mansaf (lamb or chicken in jameed yogurt), maqlouba (the "upside-down" rice dish), stuffed grape leaves, or seasonal soups. If the market visit appeals to you, you go with the family to choose fresh ingredients together. If you'd rather start straight in the kitchen, that works too. The whole experience runs about two hours, so the pace stays unhurried.

As you cook, you're learning about Bedouin life, marriage customs, and daily routines in Petra, not from a lecture, but woven into the work and the stories shared while you're at the stove. The menu shifts with the season and what's available, so no two visits are identical. Vegetarian options (mujadara, qalaya bandora, stuffed grape leaves without meat) are built into the kitchen, not added as an afterthought.

When the food is ready, everyone eats together at the family table. Homemade sweets or seasonal fruit come after, along with more mint tea. Public transportation options are nearby if you need them to get there.

What’s included

• Freshly brewed Arabic coffee and mint tea served with traditional hospitality.
• home-cooked lunch or dinner (the menu changes with the season and your choice of dishes).
• homemade sweets or seasonal fruit after the meal.
• bottled water.
• learning about Bedouin hospitality, marriage customs, and daily life in Petra woven into the cooking and conversation.

Options for this experience

6 options

Tea & ChatUp to 15 per booking · Guide in English or Arabic · No fixed timeDuration: 2 hours. Tea and snacks: Sip Arabic tea and share stories about Bedouin life, family and traditions in our home in Petra.

Traditional breakfast and chatUp to 15 per booking · Guide in English or Arabic · No fixed timeTakes 2 hours and includes breakfast

Dine & ChatUp to 15 per booking · Guide in English or Arabic · No fixed timeRuns 2 hours, centered on the main dish

See 3 more options

Traditional bread and breakfastUp to 10 per booking · Guide in English or Arabic · No fixed timeDuration: 3 hours. Spend a relaxed, traditional morning baking bread in an Arabic oven, then sit down to breakfast and chat. Jordanian breakfast. Hands-on bread making: Enjoy a cozy morning with Um Ayemen's family in Petra, where you bake fresh traditional bread and prepare a light homemade breakfast.

Shop, cook, dine and chat.Up to 10 per booking · Guide in English or Arabic · No fixed timeDuration: 5 hours. Flexible; can be arranged via WhatsApp or email. Shop locally, cook and dine: Visit local markets and choose fresh ingredients. Cook authentic Jordanian dishes with the family. Enjoy a full homemade meal.

Cook, dine and chat.Up to 10 per booking · Guide in English or Arabic · No fixed timeLasts 4 hours, during which you prepare traditional dishes

You pick the guide language when booking.

You'll see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates and prices

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish and Arabic

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.It may be canceled if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 10 days ago

Good to know

Public transport nearby

Operated by Um Ayemen

Is this one for you?If you want to cook and eat rather than watch a chef work, this is hands-on from the moment you arrive. The mix-and-match menu means you steer what gets made, and the market visit is optional. Pick it if you want to shop with the family, skip it if you'd rather go straight to the kitchen.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and Arabic.

Can I choose which Jordanian dishes to cook, or is the menu set?

You pick from the menu: mansaf, maqlouba, stuffed grape leaves, seasonal soups, kuba, and others are all options. Um Ayemen and her family work with what you want to make and what's in season, so the dishes shift from visit to visit.

Do I go to the local market to buy ingredients, or are they already there?

The market visit is one of the mix-and-match activities you can choose. If you want to go and pick fresh ingredients with the family, you do. If you'd rather skip it and start cooking, that's fine too.

What's included in the price, and what do I need to pay for separately?

Arabic coffee, mint tea, homemade sweets or seasonal fruit, and the home-cooked meal are all included. Any personal purchases you make at the market, if you choose to visit, are your own cost.

How long does the whole experience take?

The class runs about two hours from start to finish, including cooking, learning about Bedouin traditions, and eating together at the table.

Are there vegetarian options?

Yes. Mujadara (lentils, rice, and caramelized onions), qalaya bandora (sautéed tomatoes with olive oil and spices), and stuffed grape leaves without meat are all on the menu.