Cook a local dish with a local

Cooking a local dish with a local means an afternoon in a kitchen, often a family's, learning a recipe the way it is really made, then sitting down to eat it together. You come home with a skill instead of a souvenir, and a dish you can cook again on an ordinary Tuesday.

Where to do it

Chiang Mai, Thailand

The old Lanna capital in northern Thailand is full of cooking schools, many on small farms outside town. A class usually starts at a morning market, then teaches curry paste pounded by hand, a stir-fry and a soup. Big schools can feel like a production line; smaller farm classes are slower and better.

Hoi An, Vietnam

Classes often begin with a market walk or a basket-boat ride, then teach cao lầu noodles, fresh spring rolls and bánh xèo pancakes. The town's old quarter is a World Heritage Site, and cooking here is the gentlest food lesson in Vietnam.

Naples, Italy

The art of the Neapolitan pizzaiuolo is on UNESCO's intangible heritage list, and pizza classes teach the dough, the stretch and the very hot oven. Ask how to adapt it at home, since a home oven in Italy or anywhere else can't match a pizzeria's.

Oaxaca, Mexico

Oaxaca is famous for its moles. A class usually starts at a city market, then toasts chiles, grinds chocolate and spices, and presses tortillas by hand. It's a full day, and the best way to understand Mexico's most complicated sauce.

Marrakech, Morocco

In a riad kitchen or a farm outside the city you learn a tagine and how to steam couscous, a dish Morocco shares with its neighbors on UNESCO's list. Some "classes" are mostly demonstrations; ask whether you cook yourself.

Tbilisi, Georgia

Khinkali, pleated soup dumplings, are the classic lesson in Georgia, with khachapuri, cheese bread, close behind. Many classes are in family homes and end at a long table with wine. Pleating takes practice: the more folds, the prouder the cook.

Kochi, India

In Fort Kochi, in Kerala, home cooks teach fish curry with coconut, vegetable thoran and appam. Classes in this corner of India are often for a handful of guests in a family kitchen, and the spice level is yours to choose.

Seoul, South Korea

Kimchi-making, kimjang, is on UNESCO's intangible heritage list, and Seoul classes teach it alongside bulgogi and japchae. In late autumn, families in South Korea make kimchi together for the winter.

How to make it happen

• Search for "home cooking class" or "family cooking class" rather than hotel classes. Small groups of two to eight mean you actually cook.
• Choose one with a market visit. Learning to pick the ingredients is half the lesson.
• Ask before booking: Do I cook or watch? Which dishes? Can you cook vegetarian? Do I get the recipe?
• Photograph each step and write down ingredient names in the local language.
• Buy one key ingredient to take home, sealed, and check the customs rules (see shopping a market abroad).
• Do it cheaply: guesthouse hosts are often happy to show you a family dish if you ask.

A food tour on the first day tells you which dish you want to learn.