Cooking classes for tourists are growing in popularity worldwide. Through them many destinations showcase their cuisine, displaying their most traditional and delicious recipes. While hugely popular in Europe, cooking classes are now on offer in Thailand, Peru, Vietnam, Japan, but also Mexico, Morocco or India. Tourism-review.com introduces the most interesting destinations where visitors can learn ancestral culinary techniques and discover remarkable ingredients while learning to prepare the local dishes.
India
Japan
Mexico
Mexico is so big that its cuisine varies enormously depending on where you are. It has a close relationship with spiciness, as you already know, but this also depends on the region you are visiting. Here, the ingredients are full of powerful flavours. Forget the typical Tex-Mex restaurants and immerse yourself in a good traditional cuisine class in Mexico City or in Merida, Yucatan. Mole, Tacos al Pastor, Tamales, Guacamole, Aguachile, Enchiladas, Pozoles or sauces will all leave an imprint on your culinary memory, so it’s even better if you take these recipes and techniques back home.
Morocco
You won’t find a country with as many contrasts or culture so different that will catch you off guard. Moroccan cuisine also causes a sensation among its visitors, and going through Fez or Marrakech is a good opportunity to discover it by partaking in a cooking class. Generally, the ingredients are not so hard to find back home, and if you go back into your kitchen knowing how to make a chicken pie, a vegetable couscous, a lamb Tagine, a Tabbouleh, or an aubergine Zaalouk you can have the peace of mind of knowing that you made the most out of your trip.
Peru
Peruvian cuisine, by its own merits, has become one of the best and more varied gastronomies of the world. A journey through this cuisine will take you to discover combinations of flavours that you didn’t even think possible, and cities like Lima or Arequipa will be like paradises for your taste buds, plus both have excellent offers in Peruvian cooking classes. Maybe you don’t feel like preparing home-cooked cuy (a guinea pig), but you can cheer up with a good ceviche, a Lima Causa, a shrimp soup, an Ají de Gallina (chicken stew), or a stuffed rocoto pepper. Peruvian ingredients are closer to Spanish ones than Asians.
Thailand
It’s hard to find a cuisine that combines as many flavours as Thai cuisine. Historically, it has received Chinese, Indian and Malaysian influences, and its dishes are known for mixing saltiness, spiciness, sweetness, and sourness in different textures. Many ingredients will be difficult to find at home, but a good cooking class will teach you how to replace them to get as close as possible. A good Pad Thai, a Tom Yum soup, a proper curry, or a green papaya salad so spicy that it’ll leave you teary-eyed should be among your recipes. Bangkok and Chiang Mai are two excellent destinations to join a good cooking class.
Vietnam
The large tourist groups that visit Vietnam rarely pay attention to its cuisine, but if you stop to watch and try their dishes, you’ll discover authentic wonders. Vietnamese food stands out for being healthy and green, tasty, light, and with all kinds of soups, where Pho stands out like no other. You’ll taste herbs and vegetables that you’ve never heard before, make your own Nems (spring rolls), a spectacular Cao Lau, a delicious Cha Ca Thang Long with fish or a classic Mi Quang. Vietnam is a country to enjoy street food, where cities such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh, and Hoi An are great destinations to participate in a cooking class.