Planet Food
Season 1
TV-G
Top chefs take the viewers on a culinary journey through regions of the world renowned for the richness and diversity of their food.
Where to Watch Season 1
10 Episodes
- BrazilE1
BrazilIt may well be only one country but Brazil offers a host of different culinary cultures. Merrilees Parker starts her journey in the Afro-influenced coastal city of Salvador, capital of the state of Bahia. She helps offer food to the Candomble Gods before filling up on sweet street food and being swept along by the infectious energy of street drummers. The next day, she meets Da Da, a famous restaurateur and TV chef who learned the art of Bahian cookery while living in the Favelas (shantytowns). Together they cook a spiny lobster and Moqueca fish, a delicious local coconut cream and fish stew. Merrilees then paddles up the River Amazon and journeys into the rain forest in search of Brazil nuts and bizarre fruits, tapioca pancakes and exotic barbecued fish. Downstream, Belem's wonderful market offers even more surprises including a Guarana smoothy, jambo leaf, manioc and dried shrimp soup and hundreds of herbal medicines. Merrilees then heads south to Recife in the Pernambuco state, where Portuguese flavours are the order of the day. Here, sugar plantations have given the world Cachaca, Brazil's answer to rum. Merrilees samples the national cocktail and whisks up a Cachaca mousse before joining the Easter celebrations at the extraordinary Fazenda Nova, an open-air reconstruction of old Jerusalem where tens of thousands watch the Last Supper and gorge themselves on goat kebabs and pastries. Further south in Porto Allegre, Merrilees meets the Gauchos who tend Brazil's famous beef cattle and cooks them Waggoner's Rice, one of their favourite dishes. The mixture of European culture and the love of meat means the area offers huge barbecues and sophisticated wineries, both of which Merrilees experiences before finishing her journey in the country's party capital Rio de Janeiro. She ends her Brazilian experience with beach food and the national dish, Feijoada. - Burgundy (France)E2
Burgundy (France)Autumn in Burgundy is a 'foodies' dream. Merrilees Parker explores the golden vineyards of the Cote D'Or. Here she picks grapes, celebrates with local wine makers and learns which wines go best with what foods. Merrilees visits typical markets, goes mushroom hunting and eats at a farmyard restaurant run by farmers wives. She has to cope under the heat and stress of a 3 Michelin star restaurant, takes a journey in a hot air balloon and meets with local chefs to make 'frogs legs', 'apple tart', 'roasted wild mushrooms' and 'beef Bourguignon'. - The CaribbeanE3
The CaribbeanThe Caribbean, a place associated with laid-back living, raucous parties and resort holidays, doesn't immediately leap off the map as a top foodies' destination. Yet anyone stepping off the beach or out of their hotel will discover a region fiercely proud of its rich tradition of cross-pollinated cuisines. Merrilees Parker takes a hop across the islands of Puerto Rico, St Kitts, Guadeloupe and Trinidad in search of the tastes that give the Caribbeans their unique spirit. In Puerto Rico she finds the colonial influence still alive in the islanders' love of coffee, while St Kitts has capitalised on its history by converting its plantation houses into gourmet restaurants. Here she cooks up a local catch, spiny lobster. On Guadeloupe she savours the truly international Creole cuisine, a combination of Indian, Chinese, French, Spanish and African influences, as well as the identifiably French flavours of its pastries and rum. The menu ends in Trinidad where she samples Trinni street food favourites like roti, corn soup, pelau and rum at its mind-blowing world famous carnival. - Emilia Romagna & Tuscany (Italy)E4
Emilia Romagna & Tuscany (Italy)Tyler Florence explores the delicacies of Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany in Central Italy. This is the land of cheese, wine and pasta. He explores the gastro-shops in 'Bologna the Fat', indulges in chunks of parmesan and celebrates at the Chestnut festival. The olive harvest takes place in November and Tyler joins farmers in picking and pressing this years olives and soon discovers just how delicious freshly made olive oil tastes. Tyler meets with local chefs and cooks Porcini mushrooms, rabbit, chestnut polenta and fresh pasta. While in Florence he indulges in pizza, different breads, tripe sandwiches and classic Italian ices-cream along with participating in the annual Butchers festival. - GermanyE5
GermanyGermany is a country that has been central to Europe since its foundation some hundred and thirty years ago. And central to this country's experience has been food, yet this remains one of the world's great unsung cuisines, generally condemned as stodgy or boring, but there is much more to Germany than sausages and sauerkraut. There is a large variety of rich culinary traditions which have developed in the different regions of Germany. A North/South divide is apparent when it comes to German food and culture. The North is influenced by Scandinavia and its closeness to the sea, while those in the South prefer lighter food, influenced by nearby Italy and Austria. Germany is a fertile land ideal for raising livestock, so pork, lamb, beef and dairy products are central to the German diet. In the days before modern refrigeration, Germans prolonged the shelf life of their meat by smoking, marinating and salting. And this led to the nation's predilection for sausages and preserved foods. In Planet Food: Germany, Merrilees Parker visits the world famous Oktoberfest where she discovers the best of German beers, as well as the Weisswurst - Bavaria's very own sausage! Nursing a hangover, she heads off to uncover the history of the pretzel and tries her hand at making the delicious Black Forest Gateau from one of the best bakers in the country. She discovers the two sides of the capital Berlin, sampling its new and sophisticated cuisine as well as its nostalgic produce that originated from the former GDR. - MexicoE6
MexicoTyler Florence gets away from the traditional notions of Americanised Mexican food and travels around Mexico to find the real heart and soul of Mexican cuisine. The country has a number of regional variations and eating is a way of life. Tyler starts his journey in Mexico City, once the culinary gateway between Europe and the America's. Here he explores the vibrant markets and discovers the just how hot chillies can really get. A quick sip of tequila takes him to the cactus heartland of Oaxaca where he finds out how tequila's sister drink, mezcal, is made. Tyler samples some excellent chocolate, another favourite of all Mexicans and an ingredient that the world over has a lot to than Mexico for. In the beautiful city of Puebla, Tyler learns how to prepare the national dish, Mole, turkey with chocolate sauce, originally invented by a local nun, by accident. The Mexicans love to celebrate and Tyler's happens upon a seven-day festival totally dedicated to vanilla. His journey ends on the east coast where Mexican flavours blend with the Caribbean sea. - MoroccoE7
MoroccoBen O'Donoghue's journey starts in Casablanca with a typical Moroccan breakfast, after which Ben takes in some local culture and visits Hassan II Mosque before lunching at the camel market. Casablanca is a hip, trendy vibrant young city and Ben discovers the best new place in town, 'Les Petits Roches'. On the road northbound, Ben stops off for a roadside snack of couscous and milk next to local vineyards. Moving on to the Imperial City of Fes where Ben gets lost in the oldest continually inhabited medina and is invited into an old home where he learns how to cook the soup that breaks the Ramadan fast, Harira. Ben visits the infamous restaurant and Maison d'hotel 'La Maison Bleue' where he indulges in delicious ancient dishes. Leaving the old imperial city behind and venturing up through the snow capped Mid-Atlas to the Sahara, Ben collects a selection of vegetables at the market in Erfoud and then bikes off towards the high dunes of the Western Sahara and lives with a Nomadic family who survive in a desert. Onward to the exotic city of Marrakesh where Ben explores the chicken and olive market and meets up with the head chef of La Mamounia and learns how to make a classic Chicken Tagine. The evenings entertainment starts in the Place Djemna el Fna where Ben tastes a fine selection of street foods scattered amongst snake charmers, fire eaters and musicians. South West into the High Atlas, Ben meets a young Chef from New York whose Berber origins have brought him to the land of mountain honey, almond nut and argane tree. Together they cook a delicious Moroccan pastry with honey and almonds which they take to a local Berber village. Here they discover argane oil and amalou prepared in a traditional way. Ben bids farewell to Chef Orchid and embarks on the final leg of his journey, to the Portuguese fishing port of Essaouira. Here is dabbles in a bit of surfing, explores the medina and fish markets and meets some local fishermen and then cooks his final dish f - South IndiaE8
South IndiaPadma Lakshmi journeys through South India. Starting in Mumbai, she discovers a number street food delights before helping the 'Dabbawallahs' deliver lunch to businessmen in the city centre. She travels inland by plane to Hyderabad where Padma enjoys the opulence of the Royal city and explores the exotic bazaars where she learns how to make a Royal Biryani for 200 children at the home of a first class chef. In Bangalore, Padma enjoys a typical South Indian breakfast, a Masala Dosa at the Mavalli Tiffin Rooms. She then travels on to India's largest Woman's Co-Operative to make sun-dried Pappadams. Next she heads south to the lush coastal state of Kerala. Here Padma explores the spice warehouses in Cochin and has an insight into the world's only International Pepper Exchange. Padma meets up with a local chef and together they cook a fragrant coconut fish stew amongst the tropical palm fringed backwaters of Kerala. Travelling through the Cardamon Hills and over the Western Ghats by train, Padma finds herself in a large Krishna Temple. The temples' dining rooms are open to hungry worshipers and it is here where Padma journey comes to an end. She eats with 10,000 pilgrims and learns of the sacred and religious foods in South India. - Southern SpainE9
Southern SpainPadma Lakshmi embarks on an overland adventure across Southern Spain tasting the regional gastronomic delights whilst indulging in the local culture. Padma's journey begins in the Andalucian capital, Seville, with breakfast; hot chocolate and Spanish doughnuts. After touring the bustling town, Padma takes a tour of authentic tapas bars. They happen upon a flamenco bar where Padma practices a few steps between sips of Sangria. She is south bound to Jerez de la Frontera where Padma meets a local chef. Together they cook with fish and sherry. The next day she ventures towards to a small fishing village on the Atlantic coast, Sanlucar de Barrameda. Here Padma learns about the production of the exclusive Manzanilla sherry before buying some heavenly cakes from the local convent. A brief detour to La Mancha, rural Don Quixote countryside, where Padma attends the annual Saffron Harvest festival. Then it's back south to the Costa del Sol where on the beach she meets the Paella King, Ayo. He teaches Padma how to make the authentic festive Spanish dish. From the Mediterranean coast to the snow capped tips of the Sierra Nevada in one day. Padma stays at a local farmhouse in the Alpujaras valley. The owner Paco takes here on a donkey ride up into the mountains to hunt down the famous dry cured ham. After a hard day in the saddle she cooks an Andalucian stew with Paco's wife and joins their family for dinner. Passing through the Moorish city of Granada, she heads north towards Jaen for the annual bullfighting festival. At the fight, the bull has won, and she joins disgruntled officials in a bull restaurant and discusses the issue of bull's meat whilst tucking into some prize bull's balls. The next day she happens upon a famous olive oil mill and learns how olive oil is essential to Spanish cooking. Finally, its onto the sleepy town of Bunol to throw tomatoes at the wild Tomantina festival and back in the kitchen to make Gazpacho - an alternative use for tomatoes. Her - ThailandE10
ThailandThe Golden Kingdom of Thailand is home to some of the most pungent and spicy fresh ingredients in the world. Regarded as the world's fourth most popular cuisine, Thailand is valued for its low fat content and health enhancing properties. Merrilees Parker visits paddy fields and aircraft-hangar sized rice barges, shops in the floating markets of Bangkok and the night market in Chiang Mai and discovers beautiful fresh fruit and the notoriously smelly durian fruit. She cooks steaming Pad Thai noodles and tangy fish sauce with a street food vendor, masters the intricate art of fruit sculpture and the delicacies of the Royal Thai Cuisine. She then spends a night with a Thai family and prepare green curry, and are awoken early to make an offering to the monks at the local temple.