One thing that I love about living in a city like D.C is the diverse food options. Growing up in a small town in North Carolina, there were many staple restaurants, but to find diverse cuisine, one would have to travel an hour up north to the capital, Raleigh, or go west to the bigger city of Charlotte. Even so, I am a big foodie and love to learn about different ways I can expand my palette, and during quarantine, I was able to find some hidden gems on Netflix that truly satisfied my cravings.
“High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America”– African
Many American foods have their roots in African-American food, which has its roots in African food. This four-episode series follows Stephen Satterfield, a food writer and sommelier who studied as a chef; his main goal is to trace the origins of the soul food that we hold near and dear. His journey is inspired by Jessica B. Harris, a culinary historian who writes about the food diaspora and wrote the book High on the Hog. “Our Roots” is the first episode, and Stephen travels to Benin, West Africa, which is a part of the slave coast. Viewers can learn about the many foods that made the voyage with the slaves who were sent to the New World. Some foods include okra, black-eyed peas, yams, and of course, rice (If you want more detail, then be sure to check out the next episode, “The Rice Kingdom”). The first episode draws you in as Stephen shows different parts of the country that include the Dantokpa Market in Cotonou, Benin, one of the biggest open-air markets in West Africa, and Ganvié, a water village that was founded by people who ran away from the slavers and were helped by voodoo priests.
“Flavorful Origins” – Chinese
“Flavorful Origins” takes the viewer on a tranquil journey to learn about the unique cuisines in China’s different provinces and how simple ingredients turn into flavorful full-course meals. There are three seasons based on the different food locations, which are Gansu, Yunnan, and Chaoshan. In the first season, we get to learn about Gansu cuisine, a province that is more than 1600 km long, or the distance between Milan and Istanbul. We start with mutton, or lamb, and how there are a variety of ways to cook this meat; it can be stir-fried or braised since it is in abundance in this location. The Gansu cuisine season consists of 10 episodes that are less than 15 minutes long, and the audience can learn about the importance of ingredients like flaxseed, gua gua, and lilies. Since the episodes are shorter than most docuseries, you can really binge-watch in one sitting while absorbing new information each episode.
“Street Food Latin America” – Latin America
“Street Food Latin America” is a series in which you can immerse yourself for 30 minutes in the street food cuisine of different Latin American countries and learn more about the key staples that make each country unique. This is the second installment of the “Street Food” collection on Netflix, the previous being “Street Food Asia”. In the first episode, we arrive at Buenos Aires, Argentina, where the people are passionate about tango, soccer, politics, and food! The most important street food is carne, or meat, along with milanesa, empanadas, la chiquas, and choripan. Our focus is Pato Rodriguez, the owner of Las Chicas de las Tres. This restaurant is located at the Central Market, a place where the lowest and highest classes of the country will interact. She specializes in empanadas and pizza and has perfected the Tortilla de Papas, a menu item she created after overcoming adversity with her relationship and family business. The series contains six episodes and travels to the following cities: Buenos Aires, Argentina; Salvador, Brazil; Oaxaca, Mexico; Lima, Peru; Bogota, Colombia; and La Paz, Bolivia.
“Korean Cold Noodle Rhapsody” – Korean
Lastly, we travel to South Korea to learn more about the summertime staple, naengmyeon. This is a famous cold noodle dish that is well known for its neutral yet addicting flavor. Hosted by Baek Jong-won, a Korean chef and food critic who previously hosted “Korean Porkbelly Rhapsody”, Korean Cold Noodle Rhapsody takes viewers around this versatile country to learn more about the origin of naengmyeon and how different chefs create this simple dish. Starting at Gangneung in the Gangwon province, we meet a man who makes his buckwheat noodles from scratch every day and sticks to the traditional recipe. No meat is added because, “This is how people made noodles when they couldn’t afford meat.” Instead, he uses beets as a natural stock. Released this year, this two-episode series is perfect for foodies who want to delve deep into the power of simplicity of noodles and learn more about Saouth Korea’s unique cuisine.
With the classical music in the background and close shots of the delicious noodles, this short series will leave viewers feeling more knowledgeable than where they started and with a newfound appreciation for Korean culture. Also, viewers can enjoy a cameo by Sorensen Joakim, a Swedish actor, who starred in the hit South Korean sitcom, “So Not Worth It!”