Private Tour
Authentic Bengali Cooking Class in a Local Kolkata Home
Overview
Available languages
Mobile ticket
Zinnia lives with her husband and their 14 year old daughter in Kolkata. For Zinnia being in the kitchen is truly a stress buster! Zinnia taught herself to cook after she got married from recipe books and long phone conversations with her mother!
Zinnia will welcome you to their apartment in New Town with a warm smile. While you sip on your welcome drink, Zinnia will share all about her love for cooking. She cooks not only traditional Bengali food but can also fix up a few delectable North Indian dishes. The menu is thoughtfully chosen to feature 3-4 Bengali specialties and the distinctive use of mustard oil and mustard seed paste which is unique to Bengali cuisine. Join Zinnia in her small kitchen for a one hour hands-on cooking class and then sit down at the dinning table to enjoy the meal you helped prepare.
Zinnia can offer vegetarian meals on request. Any dietary preferences may be available.
Additional Info
Menu may vary depending on the season
If any travelers in your party have any allergies, dietary restrictions or cooking preferences please advise at time of booking
Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking if required
Private, personalized experience
Notes: Zinnia can offer vegetarian meals on request.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What To Expect
Join Zinnia in her small kitchen for a one hour hands-on cooking class. The cooking class will begin with an introduction to Indian spices and Zinnia will show you the ingredients of panch phoran, a spice blend of cumin, brown mustard, fenugreek, nigella and fennel which is commonly used in Eastern India. She will also explain why mustard oil is used in Bengali cuisine and will show you how mustard seeds are ground into a paste. After which you will learn to roll out the dough and fry luchis (a deep-fried flatbread), prepare the shorshe chingri (prawns in mustard gravy) and tomato and dates chutney from scratch. You will then join Zinnia and her family (when at home) at their dining table for a home cooked Bengali meal that might include a few dishes such as shorshe maach (fish cooked in mustard sauce) or kosha maangsho (mutton curry), aaloo posto (potatoes with poppy seeds) or begun bhaaja (eggplant/aubergine fry) and cholar dal (lentils) served with rice or flat bread and a tomato and dates chutney. Your meal will end with some paayesh (rice pudding), the most favored dessert in Bengali homes for any occasion.
What‘s Included
All taxes, fees and handling charges
Private cooking class with your host Zinnia
Local alcohol (1-2 glasses of local beer)
Home cooked meal (lunch or dinner)
Hotel pickup and drop-off
Options
Cooking class and lunch
Cooking class and dinner
Reviews
10 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Outstanding Experience for Mind, Soul and last but not least Stomage
Reisender02,,Jan 15, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00First of all it was fun from start to end. We met an outstanding family with great hospitality and openess. With the cooking the underlying concepts were explained so that we believe we understood all dimensions of the relevant dish. The self performance helped to get a feel - to be proofen in the "homework " though ;-) but we will get online support if needed. As a special treasure we will take the mustard twist of our favorite dish home with us and close with a big thanks!
Wonderful cooking class for authentic Bengali food
randyr176,,Dec 29, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00My wife and I spent an afternoon and evening with Zinnia and her family learning to cook Bengali food! It was a wonderful experience, both in the cooking and the personal attention. We learned to cook four different dishes (and had a number more in the dinner). It was a wonderful experience and I recommend her to anyone!! https://www.flickr.com/photos/randyandellen/albums/72177720331169070/
Great experience
sabinasE5914OQ,,Dec 23, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00I had a great experience at Zinnia cooking class. We prepared together a indian/bengali menu based on my food preferences and I got to learn tricks and secrets of this delicious cuisine. Then we had a lovely dinner with her sweet family in their beautiful home. I totally recommend this experience for whoever wants to enjoy not only food but also some great human interaction with Zinnia and her family. Looking forward to come back and thank you for havingme!
An unforgettable experience!
Anna-Maria M,,Apr 14, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00I can wholeheartedly recommend this cooking class. Zinnia and her family were great hosts and welcomed us into their home with open arms. We had a really nice evening and are already looking forward to cooking the recipes for our families in Germany.
A very friendly teacher, the number one cooking class in Kolkata
detokazumi,,Mar 18, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00This is my second visit. Last year's visit was so enjoyable that I decided to ask for it again. Zinnia worked with me to come up with a recipe for hope that I would like you to share. The cooking is very careful and easy to understand. After cooking together, we had a good meal with Zinnia family. It is definitely the best cooking class in Kolkata. Next time I go to Kolkata, I will definitely revisit it.
So much joy, most delicious food, loooooved it!
NorthStar64434464935,,Jan 21, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00I’m traveling across India and wanted to explore the cuisine of every region. That’s how I came across Zinnia. What can I say? It was simply a perfect evening! I was invited into her wonderful home and had the chance to meet her lovely family. Some of the dishes had already been prepared by Zinnia, while others we cooked together, allowing me to savor a variety of dishes from Bengali cuisine – and it was absolutely delicious! Accompanied by engaging conversations and fascinating stories, it was an evening that made me feel completely at ease, as if we had known each other for a long time. I’m already looking forward to my next visit! P.S.: Don’t hesitate to ask about other dishes from Bengali or North Indian cuisine! Zinnia will create something amazing for you!
A wonderful culinary and human experience !
Odyssey13370740130,,Jan 8, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Zinnia is an excellent teacher and a wonderful person. It was an unforgettable experience that enabled me to discover how to prepare Indian dishes that I'll be able to share with my friends and family in France. I was made very welcome and she and her husband even came to pick me up and take me back to the hotel. I sincerely thank them and the rest of their family for their hospitality.
No.1 Cooking Class in Kolkata.
detokazumi,,Feb 18, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Before the cooking class started, we discussed in advance what we would make by email. She came up with a menu based on my wishes. On the day of the cooking class, Zinnia welcomed me very kindly. I was able to relax and learn traditional Bengali cuisine in her lovely and beautiful home. My most enjoyable memory of going to Kolkata was meeting her and her family. I am very happy.
Great experience!
D7912QFmonicab,,Jan 4, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We had an amazing experience cooking with Zinnia and eating with her family! Such welcoming and friendly people, Zinnia's family have shown us all their love for sharing culture and hospitality and we are so grateful for the hours spent together. The cooking class was super informative and personalised, we had fun and will cherish these moments and info forever. 1000% recommended!
An exquisite experience with Zinnia's cuisine and family !
Isidore V,,Apr 24, 2023
- Review from Viator
5.00Fantastic evening with Zinnia and her family ! They were all very welcoming and I felt like being part of the family for a very nice evening of cooking class, diner and chating. Zinnia adapted her lesson to my wish to learn Bengali vegetarian cuisine and we prepared wonderful veg dishes in her kitchen. The eggplant dish with mustard seed, ginger and garlic was exquisite ! Instructions were very clear and we extended our chat to Indian and Bengali culture, beyond diner preparation. The whole family made me feel at home and like I was part of the family. I did not only discover fantastic recipes, I discovered the way of life of this wonderful and caring Bengali family and the values of Indian society. An experience that I will remember for a very long time as it is engaved in my heart ! I definately recommend everybody to join this cooking class by Zinnia in order to have a deep insight of the Bengali life.
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