The Great Course: See how a typical Sunday dinner in Greece might look, complete with roasted chicken; a horta featuring boiled wild greens, feta, and squash blossoms; and an orzo pasta salad with lentils. But first, learn how to make a simple, five-ingredient soup known as avgolemeno, and a saganaki using Kefalotyri, a unique, non-melting cheese.
Grasp how the ancient Greeks' need for arable land led to their imperial and mercantile system, and consider what we learn about their food culture from Homer, Hesiod, Pythagoras, and Plato. Observe the role of food in the rituals of festivals, religious cults, and symposia, and study simple components of the classical Greek diet that later influenced the rest of the world.
Humanity's desire for spices and other luxury items eventually connected the entire globe. Track the powerful trading empires of the Venetians and Portuguese, the Spanish conquest of the New World, and the "Columbian exchange"--where plants and animals from five continents were globally transplanted, changing eating habits around the world.
Episode 23 of Food: A Cultural Culinary History Series
In this episode, learn first about distinctive African foodways that predated extensive outside contact, encompassing traditions such as rich stews and "fufu" (starch-based porridges), regional eating rituals, and important indigenous foodstuffs. Then review the surprising variety of Australian plant and animal species used in aboriginal cookery but never adopted by European settlers.
Episode 12 of Food: A Cultural Culinary History Series
The rise of Islam brought a new way of thinking about food. Contemplate the Muslim cultural values that permitted pleasure, the cultivation of the senses, and the creation of an exquisite cuisine. Study Islamic eating rituals and Persian-influenced culinary techniques, such as perfuming food and cooking meat with sweets.
A travelogue that shares the journey and experiences of three brothers on a trip across Turkey. They learn about one of the most unknown, powerful and ancient cuisines in the world. They reflect Turkey's great culinary potential through young chefs in Istanbul who seek to change the perception of Turkish gastronomy around the world.
A tour of Old World wine regions with Spanish and Portuguese wines. Many of the wines you learn about and sample: including a Rioja, a Rueda, a Jumilla, and a Duoro red: bridge the gap between traditional and international modern styles of winemaking.
For six months of the year, renowned Spanish chef Ferran Adria closes his restaurant El Bulli and works with his culinary team to prepare the menu for the next season. An elegant, detailed study of food as avant-garde art, EL BULLI: COOKING IN PROGRESS is a tasty peek at some of the world's most innovative and exciting cooking; as Adria himself puts it, "the more bewilderment, the better!"
Enjoy a wealth of multicultural dishes with this tour of the Mediterranean, from Italy and Greece to Turkey and Tunisia. Here, you'll explore several popular outdoor cooking recipes. Highlights include lessons in sauces such as muhammara and tzatziki, ember-roasted vegetable dishes, sandwiches and pitas, and lamb kabobs.
