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Season 1 – Taste the Nation With Padma Lakshmi

Play trailer 1:30 Poster for Season 1 – Taste the Nation With Padma Lakshmi Jun 2020 Reality Special Interest Travel Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 19 Reviews 68% Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
Award winning cookbook author, host and executive producer Padma Lakshmi, takes audiences on a journey across America, exploring the rich and diverse food culture of various immigrant groups, seeking out the people who have so heavily shaped what American food is today. From indigenous communities to recent immigrant arrivals, Padma breaks bread with Americans across the nation to uncover the roots and relationship between our food, our humanity and our history - ultimately revealing stories that challenge notions of identity, belonging, and what it means to be American.
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Taste the Nation With Padma Lakshmi — Season 1

Taste the Nation With Padma Lakshmi — Season 1

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Critics Consensus

A delicious and insightful reminder of the ways food brings us together, Taste the Nation explores the impact of indigenous and immigrant cuisine on American food as we know it.

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Critics Reviews

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Nina Li Coomes New York Magazine/Vulture 07/21/2020
It is a joy to watch Lakshmi flirt and joke, a delight to see her turn serious and listen intently, tenderly even, as someone shares their coming-to-America story. Go to Full Review Bianca Gracie New York Magazine/Vulture 07/10/2020
This idea lies at the core of Taste the Nation's message: By sifting through the pain of assimilation, the show reveals how immigrants have kept their cultures alive. However, it sometimes fails to go beyond that optimism. Go to Full Review Sophie Gilbert The Atlantic 07/08/2020
One of the most fascinating food series to emerge in recent years: a ruthless indictment of how a nation's cultural heritage has been constructed out of the people and traditions that it has consistently and brutally rejected. Go to Full Review Swara Salih But Why Tho? 01/23/2023
9.5/10
Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi opens so many conversations about food and immigration that are long overdue in major American food media. Go to Full Review Linnete Manrique PopMatters 07/20/2021
8/10
Can food alone undo centuries of anti-immigrant policies that are ingrained in the fabric of the American nation? Padma Lakshmi's Taste the Nation certainly tries. Go to Full Review Radhika Menon Decider 02/23/2021
Every episode of Taste the Nation is an elegant infusion of the complex histories of our people and the state of our national culture today... Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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12/13/2021 Hubby and I are foodies and we love people! This show has given us a lot of ideas of places to visit and the restaurants that will give us something new to experience. I will be looking up recipes for some of the foods featured on this show, but some have ingredients that may be too hard to find. The people she meets on the show are all very endearing and we loved their stories! See more 09/27/2020 Love this show, I learned a lot about different communities in the U.S. and the traditional food they eat! I hope the show will have a second season and, if it does continue, that she'll highlight immigrant communities that come from Africa (west, east, north and south), the Caribbean and Europe! See more 09/08/2020 Amazing job Padma. This show was so touching and beautifully done. A MUST see (with your white parents!!) See more 08/28/2020 Pure propaganda. Normally love cooking/food shows. Goebbels would be proud. Almost unbelievably stereotypical and with a strong political slant. Producers must think the American public is comprised of imbeciles. See more 08/25/2020 Nothing new to say. She's just trying to fill the void of Anthony Bourdain. Pretty lame unfortunately. Stick to reality TV I guess... See more 07/25/2020 Come for the food, stay for the stories. This show is deep, dense, and sensitive! Refreshingly comprehensive. See more Read all reviews
Taste the Nation With Padma Lakshmi — Season 1

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Cast & Crew

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Padma Lakshmi

Host

Padma Lakshmi

Executive Producer

David Shadrack

Executive Producer

Sarina Roma

Executive Producer

Episodes

Episode 1 Aired Jun 18, 2020 Burritos at the Border Once part of Mexico, El Paso, Texas, 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. Details Episode 2 Aired Jun 18, 2020 The All American Weiner Many think hot dogs, hamburgers and pretzels 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. Details Episode 3 Aired Jun 18, 2020 Don't Mind if I Dosa Padma asks family, friends and those she admires how they hold onto Indian culture and pass it down to the next generation; in New York City, she cooks the dishes that remind her of her original home and tastes Indian foods near her current home. Details Episode 4 Aired Jun 18, 2020 The Gullah Way The Gullah Geechee people of South Carolina are fighting to preserve the traditions passed down from their ancestors, West Africans forced into slavery; Padma catches and cracks crab with friends, all working towards reclaiming their heritage. Details Episode 5 Aired Jun 18, 2020 What Is Chop Suey Anyway? Chinese food is one of the most popular cuisines in the United States but the flavors have been simplified over time; in San Francisco, Padma explores how Chinese immigrants and Chinese-Americans are broadening people's understanding of this cuisine. Details Episode 6 Aired Jun 18, 2020 Where the Kebob Is Hot Padma tastes her way through Los Angeles, sampling one of her favorite cuisines: Persian food; the community opens up about the misconceptions some Americans have about Iranians, one kebab at a time. Details Episode 7 Aired Jun 18, 2020 The Original Americans Padma travels to Arizona to eat food that is indigenous to America; she tries some surprising dishes and explores how Native Americans seek to reestablish a connection to the past in order to protect their future. Details Episode 8 Aired Jun 18, 2020 Dancing in Little Lima Peruvian cuisine hasn't quite had its moment on the American food scene, but Padma knows the power of a great bowl of ceviche; she visits Paterson, N.J.,, a Peruvian enclave, for a deeper look at this vibrant culture. Details Episode 9 Aired Jun 18, 2020 The Pad Thai Gamble Las Vegas is home to one of the largest groups of Thai immigrants in the country, many of whom are women who came here after marrying American soldiers during the Vietnam War; Padma hears their stories over delicious food. Details Episode 10 Aired Jun 18, 2020 Zen and the Art of Poke Padma dives into Japanese culture, ubiquitous in Honolulu, to understand just how far its footprint reaches; she slings fish and rolls sushi in a place where a century and a half ago Japanese immigrants first docked on Hawaii's shores. Details

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Taste the Nation With Padma Lakshmi — Season 1

Taste the Nation With Padma Lakshmi: Season 1 Trailer Taste the Nation With Padma Lakshmi: Season 1 Trailer 1:30 View more videos
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Taste the Nation With Padma Lakshmi — Season 1

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Season Info

Executive Producer
Padma Lakshmi, David Shadrack, Sarina Roma
Network
Hulu
Rating
TV-14 (L)
Genre
Reality, Special Interest, Travel
Original Language
English
Release Date
Jun 18, 2020