Plot Synopsis

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. On Thursday, June 18, 2020 at 3:01am ET/12:01am PT, Hulu released the entire 10-episode first season. TASTE THE NATION WITH PADMA LAKSHMI made its linear television debut on Friday, October 29, 2021 from 8-10pm ET/PT, as Nat Geo aired the first three episodes back to back. Season 1 episodes include:

"Burritos at the Border": 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.

"The All American Weiner": 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.

"Don't Mind if I Dosa": 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.

"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 new friends and old, all working towards reclaiming their heritage.

"What Is Chop Suey Anyway?": Chinese food is one of the most popular cuisines in the U.S. but the flavors of a vast country have been simplified over time. In San Francisco, Padma explores how Chinese immigrants and Chinese-Americans are broadening our understanding of this cuisine.

"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.

"The Original Americans": What is the original American cuisine? Padma travels to Arizona to eat food that is indigenous to this land. She tries some surprising dishes and explores how Native Americans seek to reestablish a connection to the past in order to protect their future.

"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, New Jersey, a Peruvian enclave, for a deeper look at this vibrant culture.

"The Pad Thai Gamble": Las Vegas is home to one of the largest groups of Thai immigrants in the country, many of whom were women who came here after marrying American soldiers during the Vietnam War. Padma hears their stories over delicious food -- Pad Thai is just the start.

"Zen and the Art of Poke": Padma dives into Japanese culture, ubiquitous in Honolulu, to understand just how far their cultural footprint reaches. She slings fish and rolls sushi where a century and a half ago Japanese immigrants first docked on Hawaii's shores.
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The entire 10-episode second season of TASTE THE NATION WITH PADMA LAKSHMI dropped on Friday, May 5, 2023 on Hulu. In Season 2, Padma Lakshmi takes viewers on a culinary adventure across American soil, exploring the rich and diverse communities who have so heavily shaped what American food is today. Over borscht, cornbread, pasteles and more, Padma uncovers the roots and relationship between our food, our humanity and our history -- ultimately uncovering stories that challenge notions of identity, belonging, and what it means to be American. Season 2 episodes include:

"Ketchup or No Ketchup": 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?

"From Kabul with Love": 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.

"Padma and the Beanstalk": 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.

"The Borscht Identity": Padma heads to New York's Brighton Beach and the East Village to learn why the debate over who really created borscht symbolizes a larger fight for Ukrainian identity.

"Fufu for the Win": Padma's spice meter is put to the test by comedian Yvonne Orji and others when she travels to Houston, home to the largest Nigerian population in the US, where she gets an insider experience of Nigerian food and pride.

"Ube in the Bay": Sizzling silogs, sour sinigang...and sweet spaghetti? In South San Francisco, Padma enjoys Filipino food and discovers how the younger generation of Filipino Americans are the latest disruptors in the Bay Area.

"Greeks on the Gulf": Padma eats her way through the seaside city of Tarpon Springs, Florida, which may as well be a Greek Island. From sponge diving to Avgolemono, she takes a deep dive into the Greek time capsule that is Tarpon Springs.

"On the Tip of My Krueng": In the symbolic heart of America's industrial past, Padma travels to Lowell, Massachusetts and sees how Cambodian immigrants (and their cooking) have become the backbone for the revival of this New England town.

"Halal from Dearborn": Padma visits Dearborn, a.k.a the Arab American "bubble," during Ramadan, the holiest period of the year for Dearborn's Muslim community. Cruising in muscle cars and diving into local eateries, Padma discovers the abundance of sweets and savory meats.

"Ciao New York": Padma reminisces about her years in Italy, where she experienced the spirit of la bella vita, the beautiful life. Now, hungry for some life balance, she's turning to her Italian American friends in NY to reveal their secrets, starting with pizza.