Paella and Tapas Cooking Class with Triana Market Tour Seville

Triana Market: the food hall of Seville's river quarter

Triana Market stands at the foot of the Triana Bridge, on Plaza del Altozano, and has been the daily larder of the neighbourhood since the early nineteenth century. Locals still shop here every morning, so the stalls are full of what Andalusia grows and catches in each season: ripe tomatoes for salmorejo, peppers and aubergines, mountains of olives, saffron and smoked paprika, cheeses from the sierras and fish brought in from the Atlantic coast.

The building sits on the site of the medieval Castle of San Jorge, and parts of its foundations can still be seen beneath the market, which makes a morning here a small history lesson as well as a shopping trip. If you have wondered whether Triana Market is worth visiting, this class answers it: you see it with a guide who explains which ingredients go into which dishes, and you never just walk past the stalls.

The Triana quarter around the market

Triana is the old neighbourhood on the west bank of the Guadalquivir, linked to the centre by the iron Isabel II Bridge, which everyone calls the Triana Bridge. For centuries it was the quarter of sailors, potters and flamenco families, and you still see its painted ceramic tiles on façades and in small workshops along Calle Alfarería and Calle Callao.

Because the class ends around early afternoon, Triana is the natural place to continue your day. Calle Betis runs along the river with one of the best views of the Torre del Oro and the cathedral's Giralda, and the chapel of the sailors on Calle Pureza is a short walk away. If you search for things to do in Triana Seville, starting with this market and cooking class gives you the flavour of the quarter in the most authentic way.

A hands-on cooking class with a professional chef

The kitchen is set inside Triana Market at stalls 75 to 77, so you walk from the produce straight to the stoves. A professional chef leads the class in English and divides the tasks among the group: chopping, peeling, measuring, stirring and tasting. No experience is needed, and the chef explains the techniques behind each step, from blending a silky cold soup to building the flavour base of a paella.

This is a collaborative class rather than a demonstration, so everyone cooks and everyone eats. Aprons and all ingredients are provided. If anyone in your group is vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free or has an allergy, tell us when you book and we pass it to the kitchen so the menu can be adapted in advance.

Salmorejo, gazpacho and Seville tapas

Andalusia is famous for its cold tomato soups. Salmorejo, born in nearby Córdoba, is thick and velvety, made from tomatoes, bread, garlic and olive oil and topped with chopped egg; gazpacho is lighter and almost drinkable, with cucumber and peppers. Depending on the day you make one of them, and you learn the balance of oil, salt and acidity that makes them taste right.

The tapa of the class is often espinacas con garbanzos, spinach with chickpeas, a true Seville staple spiced with cumin and paprika, whose roots go back to the city's Andalusi past. On other days the chef may choose flamenco eggs, cod fritters or garlic prawns. Each one is a dish you will meet again in the tapas places of Seville, so you will know exactly what to order.

Paella valenciana and the shared table

The centrepiece is paella valenciana, the traditional version from Valencia, made with chicken, green beans and butter beans, coloured with saffron and cooked in a wide, shallow pan. You learn why the rice is never stirred once the stock is in, how to judge the heat, and how to get the prized socarrat, the lightly toasted layer of rice at the bottom of the pan.

To finish, the chef serves a light lemon sorbet, and the whole group sits down together to enjoy every dish you have cooked, with soft drinks and water. It is a relaxed, sociable meal, and you leave with the recipes and the confidence to cook a Spanish lunch for friends long after your holiday in Seville.