Cooking Classes

Who this is for

For those who already love a Georgian dish and now want to cook it, and for those who get to know a country through its kitchen.

A lesson suits families, couples, groups of friends and colleagues alike.

What we do

We find a host or school to suit your group, language and taste, and plan the lesson from market to table.

The host sets the lesson fee and you pay them directly. Our organising cost is separate and given to you before booking.

How it runs

A lesson often begins with tea or coffee and the story behind the dishes.

Then everyone takes their own workstation and cooks step by step.

At the end we lay the table together and eat what we made for lunch or dinner.

Starting at the market

At Tbilisi's central market, which locals call the Deserters' Bazaar, everything is sold: cheese, herbs, churchkhela and spices.

The instructor shows you how to pick good cheese and fresh coriander.

What you buy at the market is then used in the lesson.

Khmeli suneli and utskho suneli

Khmeli suneli is a spice blend that gives many Georgian dishes their characteristic aroma.

Utskho suneli, blue fenugreek, is essential in walnut sauces and pkhali.

In the lesson you taste both and learn how much to add.

Svan salt and marigold

Svan salt is salt blended with garlic, dill and other herbs, which lifts meat and vegetables.

Imeretian saffron is dried marigold petals, giving a dish a yellow colour and a mellow taste.

Both are light and make good souvenirs to take home.

Khinkali dough

Khinkali dough is simple - flour, water and salt - but it must be firm and elastic.

The dough needs to rest before it is rolled out thin.

Dough that is too thin tears when boiled, too thick is heavy, and you feel the right thickness with your hands.

Khinkali filling

The classic filling is a mix of beef and pork with onion, salt and pepper.

City-style khinkali include herbs, while mountain-style ones are plainer and less aromatic.

Meat-free khinkali are made with mushrooms, cheese or potato.

The pleats

Folding khinkali is the most fun and the most difficult part of the lesson.

People say a good khinkali has at least nineteen pleats, though for a beginner ten is a victory.

The instructor guides your hands, and by the third or fourth khinkali it all comes together.

How to eat khinkali

Khinkali are eaten by hand, held by the top knot.

You take a small bite first and sip the broth so it does not spill on the plate.

The top knot is left on the plate, and some jokingly count who ate how many.

Types of khachapuri

Imeretian khachapuri is round with cheese inside.

Megrelian also has cheese on top, and Adjarian is boat-shaped, with egg and butter.

In a lesson you usually make one or two types, so there is time for the dough to rest.

The cheese

For khachapuri, Imeretian cheese and sulguni are most often mixed.

Saltiness matters: very salty cheese is soaked in water.

The instructor shows you how to make the mix so the melted cheese does not run out.

The Adjarian boat

Adjarian khachapuri gets its boat shape by rolling in the edges of the dough.

As it comes out of the oven a raw egg and butter go in the centre.

You mix egg and cheese with a piece of crust as you eat, a small ritual of its own.

Dough with matsoni

Khachapuri dough is sometimes made with yeast and sometimes with matsoni, which gives a soft, light dough.

Matsoni is Georgian fermented milk, and tasting it is part of the lesson.

At home, plain natural yogurt often works instead.

Pkhali

Pkhali is a walnut paste with boiled vegetables such as spinach, beetroot or leek.

The walnuts are ground with garlic, coriander, utskho suneli and vinegar.

The balls are decorated with pomegranate seeds, making pkhali the most colourful cold dish.

Aubergine with walnuts

Slices of fried aubergine are spread with walnut paste and rolled up.

The aubergine should not soak up too much oil, and the instructor teaches you the trick.

This dish is made ahead and keeps well while you wait for guests.

Sauces

Tkemali is a sour plum sauce that goes with grilled meat and potatoes.

Adjika is a spicy pepper paste, and bazhe a mild walnut sauce for poultry.

Sauces are the quickest thing to learn and the most often repeated at home.

Lobio

Lobio is often cooked in a clay pot with onion, coriander and spices.

The pot holds heat for a long time, so the lobio stays hot on the table.

Lobio is often eaten with mchadi and pickles.

Ketsi and ojakhuri

A ketsi is a flat clay pan in which mushrooms, chicken or potatoes are baked in the oven.

Ojakhuri is a dish of fried meat and potatoes, often brought to the table in a ketsi.

A ketsi is one of the best souvenirs of Georgian cooking.

Mtsvadi

Mtsvadi is grilled over vine embers, and the right level of heat decides everything.

The meat is marinated beforehand with onion and salt, but not too many spices.

The host turns the skewers, and you can have a go too.

The tone and shoti

A tone is a clay or brick oven set into the ground, on whose walls bread is baked.

Shoti is a boat-shaped bread slapped onto the hot wall with a quick movement.

A lesson at a tone happens on a visit to a village or a small bakery.

Mchadi and ghomi

Mchadi is cornbread baked in a pan or on a clay dish.

Ghomi is a thick cornmeal porridge eaten with sulguni in western Georgia.

Both are simple and naturally gluten-free.

Churchkhela

For churchkhela, walnuts are threaded on a string and dipped in thickened grape must, called tatara.

Churchkhela dries for days or weeks, so you leave the one you dipped behind and take a finished one.

The liveliest time is the harvest, when the must is fresh.

Pelamushi and gozinaki

Pelamushi is a pudding of grape juice and flour, often served with walnuts.

Gozinaki is walnuts cooked in honey and an essential sweet on the New Year table.

Both are relatively quick to make, and children love them.

Regional dishes

In Samegrelo they make elarji and kuchmachi; in Svaneti kubdari, a meat pie.

In Adjara borano, cheese in melted butter, and in Racha lobiani with ham.

A regional lesson is best in the same region, with a local family.

A vegetable lesson

A Georgian menu without meat is complete: pkhali, lobio, aubergine, mushrooms and khachapuri.

For a vegan lesson we replace cheese dishes and make the dough without egg.

We tell the instructor about this in advance so they buy accordingly.

Fasting cuisine

Orthodox fasting cuisine is very close to vegan.

Many Georgian families cook exactly these dishes on fasting days.

Such a lesson shows a less known side of Georgian tradition.

Gluten-free options

Khinkali and khachapuri are made with wheat flour and are hard to make gluten-free.

On the other hand mchadi, ghomi, pkhali, lobio and the sauces are naturally gluten-free.

For coeliac guests we also ask the instructor to keep tableware and surfaces clean.

Children in the kitchen

Children love rolling out dough, adding cheese and shaping khachapuri most of all.

Only an adult handles the knife and the hot oven.

For children we shorten the lesson to two hours.

A lesson for two

A private lesson for two is a romantic and relaxed experience.

It is often chosen for an anniversary or a honeymoon.

You eat what you made in the host's courtyard or on a balcony, with wine.

A team contest

For a company the lesson can become a contest: who folds the prettiest khinkali.

The judge is often the host, and a symbolic prize awaits the winner.

This format brings colleagues closer and causes plenty of laughter.

With a family in Tbilisi

In Tbilisi's old districts some families welcome guests into their own kitchen.

Such a lesson is for a small group and gives you a glimpse of family life.

Getting there in the city is easy, and a transfer is rarely needed.

In a Kakhetian village

In a Kakhetian village the lesson expands with a garden, a vineyard and a cellar.

You pick herbs from the garden, bake bread in the tone and drink wine from the host's qvevri.

We often combine such a day with a wine tour.

Mountain cooking

In Kazbegi, Tusheti or Svaneti cooking is simple and hearty.

Here you learn to make khinkali, kubdari or cheese at a family guesthouse.

A mountain lesson is often the end of a hiking day.

A professional course

Some cooking schools offer multi-day courses for chefs or serious amateurs.

Such a course goes deeper into technique, regional dishes and menu planning.

We check the course programme and language in advance.

Length

A standard lesson lasts three to four hours, including the meal.

A market tour adds about an hour.

A village lesson with the tone and a fire often takes the whole day.

Group size

A family kitchen usually holds up to six or eight people.

A cooking school can take up to twenty participants, at several tables.

For a large group we use two instructors or two separate kitchens.

Language

Many hosts teach in English or Russian, some only in Georgian.

In a Georgian-speaking family an interpreter keeps the lesson lively and precise.

Kneading dough and making pleats can often be learned without words.

Wine at the lesson

A lesson is often accompanied by the host's wine, and sometimes a short tasting.

Drinking wine is not required, and there is always lemonade or kompot.

We describe the wine lesson on a separate page.

Hygiene

We choose hosts whose kitchens are clean and orderly.

Before the lesson you wash your hands, put on an apron and tie back long hair.

The instructor explains the rules for handling raw meat and eggs from the start.

Recipes for home

At the end of the lesson you often receive the recipes in writing or by email.

We convert ingredient weights and volumes into the units you are used to.

Many participants make their first khinkali at home by the following weekend.

Ingredient substitutes

Instead of Imeretian cheese and sulguni, people at home often use a mix of mozzarella and feta.

Utskho suneli and khmeli suneli are sold in some countries in specialist shops or online.

The instructor tells you which substitutes work and which do not.

Taking spices home

Dry spices are light and keep well, and they are the most popular souvenir.

When buying we choose tightly sealed packaging so the aroma does not spread in your suitcase.

Check your own country's rules on bringing in food beforehand.

Photos and video

Hands covered in dough and your first khinkali make the best photo of the trip.

The instructor often takes the pictures so you do not have to leave the dough.

In a family home we photograph the hosts only with their consent.

Online lessons

An online lesson works well for learning khachapuri or sauces.

We send the ingredient list in advance, with substitutes available in your country.

Khinkali pleats are hard to learn through a screen, so we recommend a live lesson for them.

A culinary tour

A multi-day culinary tour combines several regions and several lessons.

On such a tour each day is devoted to another region's dish and another family.

We describe our tours in the tours section.

Seasonal menu

In spring jonjoli and fresh herbs appear, in summer tomatoes and aubergines.

In autumn grapes, churchkhela and tkemali are made.

In winter satsivi and gozinaki are learned for the New Year table.

For people living here

Foreigners living here often learn in the kitchen of a Georgian friend or neighbour.

If that is not possible, we recommend a regular class or a series.

A cooking lesson makes a good gift for a visitor coming to stay with you.

As a gift

A lesson voucher is often bought as a birthday or anniversary gift.

The date on the voucher stays open, and the recipient chooses a convenient day.

We agree the voucher terms with the host in advance.

Common mistakes

Arriving at the lesson already full, so you cannot eat what you made.

Trying to learn four dishes in three hours.

Telling the instructor about an allergy too late.

Timelines and cancellation

We book a family lesson a few days ahead, and a week ahead in season.

The host buys ingredients in advance, so a late cancellation is a loss for them.

In case of illness we can often reschedule.

What we need from you

Which dishes you want to learn and how many of you there are.

Participants' ages, language and dietary needs.

The date and your preferred setting: city or village.

Price

The price of a lesson depends on group size, length, place and the market tour.

The host or school sets the price, and we add nothing to it.

A transfer and our organising fee are separate lines.