Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi

Padma noshes her way through eight decadent nights of Chanukah on New Yorks Lower East Side. Along the way, she explores the origins of JewishAmerican identity and learns about the true meaning of Chanukah.

Padma visits Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard to deconstruct the holiday narrative and learn more about the lifeways and food of original Americans - the Wampanoag Nation.

If you’re smelling pork in the air, it must be close to Nochebuena! Join Padma as she connects with the Cuban community of Miami to learn about their food, history, and the recreation of their homeland on American soil.

El Paso was once part of Mexico. Its border location defines the region’s identity and the complexity of America’s political landscape. Padma eats her way through this border city while discovering the origins of one of America’s most beloved cuisines.

Hot dogs, hamburgers, pretzels… Many think these foods are quintessentially American, but their origins are actually German. In Milwaukee, Padma meets descendants of early German immigrants who hold onto their heritage by celebrating and reclaiming it.

Padma asks family, friends and those she admires how they hold onto Indian culture and pass it to the next generation. In NYC, she cooks the dishes that remind her of her original home and tastes Indian foods near her current home.

Padma gets to the heart (and stomach) of Puerto Rico’s fight for independence by examining a surprisingly controversial topic: does ketchup belong on the beloved Puerto Rican dish pasteles?

On the heels of America’s longest war coming to an end, Padma joins the Afghan American community in DC as they welcome new arrivals over feasts that remind them of the Afghanistan they left behind, and what can be built anew.

Appalachia is reinventing itself through its most beloved resource - food. Padma eats her way through the Mountain South, unearthing the inventive recipes, humble ingredients, and complex history – and picks up some banjo playing along the way.