Yucatecan Cooking Experience: Traditional Nixtamal, Recado & Pibil

What to Expect

Join Chef Jair in his home in Tulum for an immersive 3–4-hour cooking experience celebrating the rich culinary traditions of the Yucatán Peninsula.

Discover the secrets of Yucatecan cuisine as you grind traditional ingredients, prepare aromatic recado seasoning, and learn the art of nixtamalization to make fresh masa and handmade tortillas from scratch. You’ll also explore the traditional pibil cooking technique, wrapping ingredients in banana leaves to create authentic regional flavors.

Bring your culinary journey to life by preparing Pollo Pibil or Tikin Xic, accompanied by fresh homemade salsas. To finish on a sweet note, make delicious churros served with a decadent chocolate-mezcal sauce.

All ingredients, cooking equipment, aprons, and a digital recipe book are provided. Enjoy a memorable meal with Chef Jair while gaining practical skills and traditional recipes you can recreate at home.

Menu

Main Course (Choose One)

• Pollo Pibil – Traditional Yucatecan chicken marinated in recado seasoning and cooked in banana leaves.
• Tikin Xic Fish – Yucatecan-style fish marinated with regional spices and cooked in banana leaves.

Traditional Preparations

• Handmade Masa and Fresh Tortillas
• Traditional Yucatecan Recado Sauce

Fresh Salsas and Accompaniments

• Xnipec – Yucatecan Habanero, Tomato, and Red Onion Salsa
• Guacamole
• Chiltomate – Traditional Roasted Tomato Salsa
• Fresh Onion Salsa
• Other Fresh Salsas Prepared in a Traditional Molcajete

Dessert

• Homemade Churros with Chocolate-Mezcal Sauce

Schedule

1. Welcome & Introduction to Yucatecan Cuisine – Meet your host, enjoy a refreshing local drink, and discover the traditional ingredients and culinary heritage of the Yucatán Peninsula.

2. Traditional Grinding & Recado Preparation – Grind spices and local ingredients to prepare an authentic recado seasoning from scratch.

3. The Art of Pibil Cooking – Learn about the traditional pibil technique, including marinating ingredients with recado and wrapping them in banana leaves to develop rich, distinctive flavors.

4. Handmade Masa & Fresh Tortillas – Discover the art of nixtamalization, transform nixtamal into masa, and prepare fresh tortillas on a traditional comal.

5. Fresh Salsas in the Molcajete – Prepare Xnipec and other traditional salsas using a molcajete, a traditional Mexican stone mortar and pestle.

6. Homemade Churros & Communal Feast – Make fresh churros with chocolate-mezcal sauce, then enjoy your prepared main course, handmade tortillas, fresh salsas, and a delicious meal together with your host.