A hands-on Megrelian cooking day near Zugdidi: pull elarji with the paddle, simmer kharcho and pound fresh ajika, then eat what you made.

• —Cooked by a Samegrelo family in their own kitchen, not a demonstration hall set up for tour groups
• —Elarji made the traditional way, with a wooden paddle and real sulguni, until it pulls and stretches
• —Megrelian kharcho is spicier and more walnut-heavy than the Imeretian version most visitors know from Tbilisi
• —Fresh ajika pounded by hand, with a tasting of the red and green versions side by side
• —Pickup available from Zugdidi, Kutaisi or Batumi, with the route planned around your base
• —Small group or private setting, so you actually get time at the stove and the paddle

• · Wear clothes you do not mind getting flour or ajika on; the host provides an apron but elarji is a two-handed job
• · Drive time varies by origin: short from Zugdidi, around 1.5 hours from Kutaisi, around 2.5 hours from Batumi each way, so the total day is longer than the 6-hour class itself when starting from Batumi
• · No special fitness required, but expect to stand and stir for part of the elarji stage
• · Vegetarian version available on request; let us know food allergies in advance, especially walnuts
• · Lunch is generous; come hungry rather than having eaten a large breakfast
• · Roads into Samegrelo are paved and in normal condition year-round, but check gtour.ge/road-status in winter

Prices are per person for two travelling together, in euros; solo travellers and larger groups are quoted on request. Every departure is private and adjusted to you. Hotels, wineries and restaurants on our routes are verified by GTour.