Palermo
Top Palermo landmarks

Sicilian Cooking Class

Badge of ExcellencePalermo, Italy
Sicilian cookery lesson
  • 4 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
  • Mobile ticket
  • Offered in: English

Explore our promoted experiences

Overview

Sicily is home to a unique cuisine, different from mainland Italy and often hard to access without the knowledge of a local. With this Sicilian cooking class, enjoy an exclusive glimpse into Palermo’s culinary traditions by exploring one of the city’s oldest markets with a local and then preparing classic dishes at a family-run cooking school. Make four courses and sample what you’ve created during a celebratory meal.
  • Visit a historic market in Palermo’s old town to select fresh ingredients
  • Learn how to make traditional Sicilian dishes with a hands-on lesson
  • Air-conditioned cooking school and English-speaking instructor
  • Four-course dinner with wine, homemade liqueurs, and coffee

Sample Menu

Starter

Panelle

freshly fried chick pea fritters, served with a squeeze of lemon, a cornerstone of Palermo street food and a favourite of everyone


Starter

Arancine al burro

a Palermo market street food classic, saffron flavoured rice balls filled with ham and cheese then breaded and fried

Starter

Carciofi fritti

fresh artichokes, cleaned then quartered, breaded and fried


Main

Pasta fresca con salsa fresca

make your own southern Italian style fresh pasta, we’ll top this with some freshly made tomato sauce

Main

Pasta con le sarde

a Palermitan classic, pasta with fresh sardines, wild fennel, saffron, currents and pine nuts, topped with toasted breadcrumbs

Main

Involtini di carne

thin meat rolls stuffed with cheese, breadcrumbs, currants and almonds, skewered, breaded and roasted, this is a family favourite in any household

Main

Pesce spada panato

slices of delicious swordfish dipped in extra-virgin olive oil and coated with breadcrumbs seasoned with fresh parsley, mint and lemon zest

Dessert

Cannoli

the most famous Sicilian dessert, fried pastry tubes filled with sweet ricotta cream & garnished with candied orange peel & pistachios from Bronte


Dessert

Cassata

THE Sicilian cake! homemade almond paste & sponge cake stuffed with sweet ricotta cream & decorated with candied fruit, a real treat!

Dessert

Granita di mandorle

a simple and delicious frozen desert made simply with water, sugar and almonds


What's Included

  • Market Tour
  • Cookery Lesson
  • Lunch

    Meeting and Pickup

    Meeting point

    • P.za Vittorio Emanuele Orlando, 49, 90134 Palermo PA, Italy

      I will meet you at Piazza Vittorio Emanuele Orlando at the corner with the Unicredit Bank Position: 38°07'11.0"N 13°21'09.1"E The meeting point is a 5 min walk from Teatro Massimo, go to the back of the theatre and walk straight up & to the end of Via Volturno.

    Start time

    10:00 AM

    End point

    This activity ends back at the meeting point.

    What To Expect

    Additional Info

    • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
    • Not wheelchair accessible
    • Stroller accessible
    • Service animals allowed
    • Near public transportation
    • Infant seats available
    • Not recommended for people with severe food allergies, please get in touch to let us know of any dietary requirements.
    • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 6 travelers

    Cancellation Policy

    You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

    • For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
    • If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
    • Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
    • Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.

    Traveler Photos

    See more
    Featured review
    Yelena_C
    Michael and Melissa were great, knowledgeable, and entertaining! Starting from the beginning, at the Capo market and during the lesson, Michael was informative, fun, shared so much history and facts and answered everyone's questions. He was in constant communication, about the menu and the activity. The food came out pretty good and I learned some great tips about cooking from Michael who is a professional chef. We both loved this activity and 100% recommend it!

    Reviews

    5.0
    180 reviews
    Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews
    0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    Reviews by Viator travelers.
    Showing 1-10 of 180 reviews
    Do It
    Jeff_W, May 2024
    Michael was great. A real chef. Great info at the market and while cooking and eating. Melissa, his assistant, was a laugh and fun to work with. We've taken many cooking classes during our trips to Italy and this was #1 or 2 out of all of them. Highly recommend.
    Above and beyond
    Jennifer_G, Apr 2024
    Absolutely fantastic! Michael and Melissa not only helped us prepare delicious polpette, pasta, and granita—they shared stories with our group, patiently answered questions and offered cooking tips…and even helped us find a transfer to the airport on a tight schedule. Awesome experience :)
    Great English speaking and DELICIOUS food!
    Lindsey_H, Apr 2024
    Michael was so amazing! He speaks great English so there was no issue with language barrier. He was always willing to answer all of our questions and was very thorough on instructions and explanations. The space was so quaint and perfect for our group of 6. The food was delicious and I cannot wait to take the recipes home and make them! The tour through the market was fascinating too!
    Highly recommend!
    Courtney_K, Apr 2024
    We had so much fun and learned so much with Michael! Learned about the market and Palermo and cooked amazing food! Highly recommend.
    Amazing time, highly recommend!
    Preeya_D, Mar 2024
    Michael and Melissa were a great team and we really enjoyed our time with them. We learned about currently cultural trends in Palermo, dynamics in the market, dining recommendations, as well as cooking tips. We had a great time and the food was delicious!! Highly recommend!
    Amazing Cooking class in Palermo!
    Urszula_M, Mar 2024
    The whole experience was amazing! Michael and Melissa were really great, they gave us a lot of cooking tips. Food was very delicious, and we received recipes for everything we made that day. Highly recommended!
    Wonderful day
    Susan_J, Mar 2024
    This was a lovely day with Michael and his assistant. Learned a lot touring the market. The class was haha on, well paced and the lunch was terrific including a couple of wines, mandarnista (like limoncello) and the final espresso. Michael doesn't a lot of time with us answering our questions about Sicilan culture in general. Highly recommend!
    Delicious local flavors - we learned so much!
    Emily_P, Feb 2024
    Wow, wow, wow. This was one of the best experiences we have ever booked! Michael and Melissa provided a really fantastic service. We started with a market visit, where Michael spoke about the different seasonal offerings and purchased several ingredients that we would use in the dishes we cooked. Then we learned how to treat each main ingredient to maximize its flavor and create truly delicious dishes. The food was fresh, flavorful, approachable, and local in both flavor and origin. We really enjoyed ourselves and this experience and would recommend it to everyone!
    Great time!
    Matt_G, Feb 2024
    Michael was great through the whole experience, from taking us through the market to cooking the dishes! 10/10 would recommend!
    A great cultural experience
    Shanice_L, Dec 2023
    We had two toddlers with us doing our class and they made sure to make something for them outside of the course menu. It was a very fun culinary experience for our first time in Sicily as a family. I would love to come back for the summer menu!
    Wonderful!
    Michael_R, Nov 2023
    Fantastic experience, highly recommend to anyone visiting to take advantage of this great opportunity
    Best cooking class ever
    Louis_S, Nov 2023
    Michael and Melissa did a great job. Whevever I travel to, I enjoy taking a cooking class and market visit. This was by far the best I have ever taken. My entire travel group felt the same way. The menu and instruction was great. When I return to Palermo I will take another class with them.
    Fun and enriching Palermo experience
    Jennings_N, Nov 2023
    The whole experience was a highlight! Michael, our guide/chef was so friendly and knowledgeable, as well as an amazing chef! He was very lively and invested in the group and the food. I went to this class with my friend, we both had so much fun learning to cook classic Sicilian dishes that tasted so yummy! We left with a menu as well so we can try to recreate the experience at home (especially excited to remake the home made pasta and Panelle) ! If I were in Sicily longer I would do this again! Thanks Michael and all those at Sicilian Pantry!
    Experience amazing
    Mary_M, Oct 2023
    Michael was an amazing teacher and Melissa was fantastic giving us lots of tips! Food was yummy! Will be recommending.
    Must do!!
    Sheila_S, Sep 2023
    The entire experience was wonderful. Michael and Melissa made our time great by answering all of our questions and engaging us in the process. This was an experience worth being a part of. All of the food we made was excellent and going shopping through the market for the ingredients was so fun and educational! We learned a lot and cannot wait to recreate the recipes when we get home.
    Absolutely recommend!
    Yelena_C, Sep 2023
    Michael and Melissa were great, knowledgeable, and entertaining! Starting from the beginning, at the Capo market and during the lesson, Michael was informative, fun, shared so much history and facts and answered everyone's questions. He was in constant communication, about the menu and the activity. The food came out pretty good and I learned some great tips about cooking from Michael who is a professional chef. We both loved this activity and 100% recommend it!
    Awesome experience!
    ChantalGesine_G, Sep 2023
    It was super fun and such a good vibe. It was our First cooking class and we totally enjoyed it. 10/10 would definitely recommend!!
    Book it now
    Joe_M, Sep 2023
    I would give this 6 stars if I could. Excellent experience with Michael and Melissa. Doesn’t matter what level chef you are - it’s fun and everyone participates. The host is multi lingual, but especially great at english. We had a blast!!
    Fantastic experience
    Alison_L, Aug 2023
    We loved the tour around the market, discovering local flavours, the tips Michael shared with us and the after lunch conversation!
    Fantastic experience
    Lily_A, Jul 2023
    A fantastic day learning about and cooking some Sicilian cuisine staples. Both Michael and Melissa were fantastic and very knowledgeable about Sicilian history and it’s influence on how people cook and eat today. We had lots of fun! A great activity that I would recommend to anyone. Thanks Michael and Melissa
    Likely to Sell Out

    From $101.51

    up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)

    Compare Similar Experiences

    1 / 3
    Current
    Likely to Sell Out
    No Photo
    Sicilian Cooking Class
    180
    4 hours 30 minutes
    Free Cancellation
    From
    $101.51
    No Photo
    Sicilian Cooking Class in Palermo
    56
    4 hours 30 minutes
    Free Cancellation
    From
    $187.57
    No Photo
    Cesarine: Dining & Cooking Demo at Local's Home in Palermo
    9
    2 hours 30 minutes
    Free Cancellation
    From
    $115.85

    Customers Who Bought This Tour Also Bought

    Explore Similar Things to Do

    Help CenterCustomer CarePrivacy and Cookies StatementAbout ViatorNewsViator blog
    © 1997-2024 Viator, Inc.
    Terms & Conditions