Cusco: San Pedro Market Tour & Peruvian Cooking Class

Summary

San Pedro market flavors and hands-on Peruvian cooking in Cusco

You’ll wander Cusco’s San Pedro Market with a local chef, tasting fruits and learning about Andean ingredients before heading to a cozy kitchen for hands-on cooking. Mix your own passion fruit pisco sour, prep traditional Peruvian dishes (even alpaca!), and end with dessert you made yourself. Expect laughter, new flavors, and real stories along the way.

What’s the experience like?

“Try this,” our chef said, handing me a slice of something purple at the San Pedro Market — I think it was mashua? The smell of fresh cilantro and ripe passion fruit was everywhere, mixed with the clatter of vendors calling out prices. I’d walked past this market before but never stopped to really look (or taste). Li, our guide, laughed when I tried to say “kushuro” — probably butchered it. There’s just so much here you don’t see unless someone points it out. We wandered for maybe 45 minutes, poking at strange tubers and sniffing herbs I still can’t name.

The cooking studio was only a short walk away, tucked behind a blue door I would’ve missed on my own. Aprons on, we got right into making pisco sours — passion fruit instead of lime, which honestly ruined me for regular ones forever. The kitchen smelled like roasting corn and something earthy from the alpaca crisps we made (I was nervous about that part but ended up loving it). Our chef kept checking if we needed help but also let us mess up a little — my ceviche trio looked nothing like hers but tasted wild: tangy, cold, a little sweet from the tumbo.

I didn’t expect to get so into grating potatoes for the native potato cake or arguing over which chili pepper was actually “high vibration.” My hands were sticky with lucuma dough by dessert and everyone started trading stories about their worst kitchen disasters back home. There was music playing somewhere outside — cumbia maybe? Or just someone’s radio. The whole afternoon felt loose and easy, not rushed at all.

Walking back out into Cusco’s late sun, I realized how much more the city makes sense after you’ve cooked with its flavors. It’s not fancy or formal — just good food and people who care about sharing it. I still think about that first bite of ceviche sometimes when I’m stuck in traffic back home.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1 — Cooking class and market tour

• Meet chef at San Pedro Market door 1
• Enjoy 45-minute market tour
• Go to cooking studio
• Prepare passion fruit pisco sour
• Make mashua cream with purple corn and alpaca
• Prepare ceviche trio varieties
• Cook high vibration stuffed chili pepper with salad
• Make lucuma gnocchi with custard apple ice cream

Top questions

How long does the Cusco cooking class & market tour last?

The experience lasts around 4 hours total.

Where does the tour start?

You meet your chef at door number 1 of San Pedro Market in Cusco.

Is lunch included in the Cusco cooking class?

Yes, you eat everything you prepare during the class — it’s a full four-course meal plus dessert.

Are there vegetarian options available?

If you have dietary restrictions or need vegetarian options, let them know when booking.

Is pickup included for this Cusco food tour?

No hotel pickup is mentioned; you meet directly at San Pedro Market.

What dishes do you make in the class?

You’ll prepare passion fruit pisco sour, mashua cream with crispy purple corn and alpaca, three types of ceviche, stuffed chili pepper with potato cake, and lucuma gnocchi dessert.

Is this a private or group cooking class?

The reference doesn’t specify; classes may include other travelers.

Are drinks included?

A pisco sour is included along with soft beverages during the class.

What’s included

Your day includes all ingredients for every dish you’ll cook together, soft drinks throughout the session, full meals you prepare yourself (from ceviche to dessert), and step-by-step guidance from a professional Peruvian chef in both the market and studio kitchen.