Why Everyone Should do a Cooking Class in Oaxaca
By Gillian Boyd Published 15 April 2026
Take a cooking class in Oaxaca the food capital of Mexico – learn about Mexican food and culture as you gain new skills on a fun day.
Even though the food is tasty everywhere is Mexico, in Oaxaca it’s just up on another level. Why? Because it has such strong indigenous influences together with the Hispanic culture that it fuses the best elements from all the cultures in its history.
Oaxaca is a sensual rather than a cerebral place. It is where all the arts (murals, textiles, crafts and music) are appreciated and honoured. They influence each other and thrive.
Different coloured corn cobs in Oaxaca, Mexico
Why Take a Cooking Class?
As the prime cook in my household I had years of experiencing cooking as a chore. I’m on holiday and part of the fun of being on holiday is having meals made for me. So why do a cooking class?
- Food is so inextricably linked to culture that its a great way to learn about a country’s history
- When you have cooked a dish, you understand the effort and love that went into creating it and that enhances your appreciation of it thereafter
- We’ve taken a few cooking classes in different countries and they have all been fun
- Meet some new and interesting people with similar interests
- Get recommendations for restaurants and trips
- Learn new skills and develop your knowledge of food and how the flavours are created
- Feel a sense of achievement
- Eat some great food
- The pleasure from the day lingers long afterwards as your cooking skills continue to improve at home
Chef demonstrating at a cooking class in Oaxaca, Mexico
Which Class?
We enrolled on the Real Traditional Oaxaca Cooking Class with Miguel Alvarez on Airbnb. There are many classes available so choose something that interests or suits you.
But I’m Not a Chef
Don’t worry if you have zero cooking skills. The classes are designed for newbies and there are always people to help. It’s not an exam, so give it a go. Believe me – you’ll feel a sense of achievement and pride by the time you are finished. And then you get to eat it.
- Ingredients to make peanut mole
2. Cooking the ingredients for peanut mole
3. The finished meal. Rice and tortilla strips with peanut, green and negro moles. Yummy!
What to Expect
We were collected in a mini-van around 9am in central Oaxaca and returned the same way at 4pm. We were brought to the Chef’s home in the countryside for the cooking class. We toured his herb garden and local fresh food market, selected the menu for the day, prepared and cooked tortilla and empanadas for brunch, then cooked Aztec Soup, rice and 3 moles for lunch with a little mezcal tasting on the side.
Twelve students sat around a large wooden table, under a pergola in the garden, and discussed what each wanted from the day. Aged from thirty to seventy. Mostly from USA and Canada, they were all were self-confessed amateur foodies who wanted to learn more. Only one was a professional chef.
Tattoos of meat cuts on man’s bicep
Yes Chef!
At the introductory talk we were told to help ourselves to drinks throughout the day and the instructing chef gestured towards the fridge.
A heavily tattooed man asked ‘Is there beer?’ and cracked open a bottle. It was 9.30 in the morning. ‘I’m not an alcoholic’ he said as he continued to open bottles for all the men. Tattooed on his inner forearm was a chef’s knife with fruit and vegetables and on his bicep was the outline of a cow and a pig with the cuts of meat named. When he put his fists together the tattoos spelt ‘YES CHEF’. Here was a man who took his profession seriously and I wasn’t going to argue with him.
Graham, always relaxed in anyone’s company, grabbed a bottle of beer while I piously drank the chia seed water…
Mezcal Tastings
Until the Mezcal tastings started that is, and my halo slipped to the ground. Oaxaca is famous for Mezcal and I had not tasted it before. It is a strong alcoholic drink around 45-50% proof and must be made completely from cactus (agave) by law to be called Mezcal. Tequila, on the other hand, can be made with only 51% agave and corn syrup fillers are added.
Usually at a mezcal tasting, the glasses and drinks are all lined up in front of you and that is the entire focus. Here, the mezcal tastings were punctuated throughout the day, supplementary and complimentary to the food. It felt like a generous host was producing new flavours in response to our comments. ‘Oh if you liked that one, then try this’.
How to Drink Mezcal
Two glasses were set in front of each of us. The mezcal was served in a wide shot glass, with a glass of water on the side. Chef held up his glass of mezcal for all to see. When he had our full attention, he began.
‘Drinking mezcal starts with a kiss… A tiny sip sucking up the air, like a little kiss to wake the body up to receive the alcohol. Then you have a proper taste on the second sip.’
Copying, I felt self-conscious sucking in the air, focusing on the tastes and sensations. It was warm and smooth like a good whisky. My favourite was ‘Cuish’ which I later discovered is made from the rare wild agave cuish or cuixe. The mezcal tastings were spread throughout the day, along with unlimited beer and I confess I had a lovely little buzz, feeling a little tipsy all day long.
Choosing which mole to make at cooking class in Oaxaca, Mexico
Choosing the Menu
After donning aprons, we moved to the outdoor kitchen to find a brightly coloured table with ten terracotta bowls of mole (Mexican sauce), pronounced ‘mole-ay’ as in guacamole. Tasting each one, we learned about their flavours, uses and ingredients before choosing three to make together as a group; peanut, green and negro moles. We had selected these as they are classic but also, we were likely to source the ingredients at home and so could replicate the recipe.
A Lesson on Chillies
Oaxaca has an interesting cuisine due to the mix of pre-Columbian, indigenous and Hispanic influences on the recipes. The shelves behind us held many jars of different chillies and we learnt how the same chilli has different names depending upon if it is fresh, old, dried, smoked or a combination. Each has their different uses in different dishes.
Jalapeno chilli is famous for its heat, but is also known as cuaresmeño, chile gordo, or huachinango when fresh. But when it is smoked and dried it becomes chipotle morita or chipotle meco depending upon how long it is smoked for.
The dried version is very mild compared to the fresh one and is a base ingredient with dark chocolate in negro mole; one of the most common sauces found in this region.
Grinding corn at cooking class in Oaxaca
Garden and Food Market Tour
We toured the garden learning about the plants and herbs before heading to the local market to buy the ingredients for todays’ menu. In the market, we tasted various foods including grasshopper, fruits and cheese.
Grasshoppers
Dried grasshopper with chilli and lime is called chapulines and served in tacos. On this trip I discovered grasshopper is related to shellfish and most people with a shellfish allergy are also allergic to grasshopper. So that’s off the menu for me.
Proudly holding plate of empanadas he has just made
Cooking from Scratch
Back at the open-air kitchen and garden, we ground corn by hand using a heavy stone base, a stone rolling pin and a sprinkling of water to make yellow, green and black tortillas and empanadas. It was tiring and I wouldn’t want to do that everyday for family!
Local ingredients such as orange blossom flower were also artfully added. Mine looked rustic and handmade, if I am being kind, or made by a four-year-old, if I’m being truthful. But it tasted better than it looked.
Aztec soup made at cooking class in Oaxaca
Aztec Soup and Mole Lunch
Throughout the afternoon, we worked in the open air kitchen in small groups of four with an assistant chef, leading us to prepare the lunch of Aztec soup, followed by rice and tortilla strips with peanut, green and negro moles.
Everyone worked well together and we all got turns at each of the tasks which is the best way to learn.
Tortilla strips and rice with peanut, green and negro moles
Recommendations
Over lunch together at the large table in the garden, we chatted with our fellow students. As you can imagine on a course like this, we talked a lot about food, including outstanding meals we had eaten elsewhere.
When we got two different parties giving the same two recommendations to local restaurants, we knew we had to act and act fast. We immediately got on our phones and managed to secure tables at both restaurants before we were due to leave the city. It did mean juggling the itinerary around a bit but seven course tastings menus don’t come up every day. See Top Things to do in Oaxaca for more details.
Final Thoughts
Around four in the afternoon we left class feeling a mixture of positive emotions (and a little bit drunk I do confess). It was a day of sensory and intellectual stimulation with the food, the smells, the drinks, the people, the glorious weather and the ambiance of the garden. Additionally, we had two more exciting meal experiences to look forward to in the coming days thanks to the other students’ recommendations.
We had a fun day learning new skills and developing our understanding and appreciation of food. Whilst I’d not be able to replicate some of dishes because the ingredients are not available at home, I understood about the balance of flavours and could make some substitutions. It was a great day and the memories and skills I learnt have lingered long after. And how am I transformed? I understand Mexican culture a little more. I’m now a big fan of cooking classes and no longer see cooking as a chore, but an opportunity to make and eat food that I relish and want to savour.
Never miss an Adventure!