The BEST episodes of Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi

Every episode of Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi!

Host 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.

Last Updated: 9/29/2024Network: HuluStatus: Continuing
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On the Tip of My Kreung - Lowell, MA
star
8.00
12 votes

#1 - On the Tip of My Kreung - Lowell, MA

Season 2 - Episode 8 - Aired 5/5/2023

In the symbolic heart of America's industrial past, Padma travels to Lowell, MA, and sees how Cambodian immigrants and their cooking have become the backbone of this New England town.

Watch Now:Amazon
Where the Kabob is Hot
star
7.75
32 votes

#2 - Where the Kabob is Hot

Season 1 - Episode 6 - Aired 6/18/2020

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 kabob at a time.

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The Gullah Way
star
7.68
38 votes

#3 - The Gullah Way

Season 1 - Episode 4 - Aired 6/18/2020

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.

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Halal from Dearborn - Dearborn, MI
star
7.64
11 votes

#4 - Halal from Dearborn - Dearborn, MI

Season 2 - Episode 9 - Aired 5/5/2023

Padma visits Dearborn, a.k.a the Arab American "bubble," during Ramadan; while diving into local eateries, Padma discovers the abundance of sweets, treats and savoury meats.

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Fufu for the Win - Houston, TX
star
7.62
13 votes

#5 - Fufu for the Win - Houston, TX

Season 2 - Episode 5 - Aired 5/5/2023

Padma's spice metre is put to the test by comedian Yvonne Orji and others when she travels to Houston, home to the largest Nigerian population in the U.S., where she gets an insider experience of Nigerian food and pride.

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Don't Mind if I Dosa
star
7.61
41 votes

#6 - Don't Mind if I Dosa

Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 6/18/2020

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.

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Greeks on the Gulf - Tarpon Springs, FL
star
7.60
15 votes

#7 - Greeks on the Gulf - Tarpon Springs, FL

Season 2 - Episode 7 - Aired 5/5/2023

Padma eats her way through the seaside city of Tarpon Springs, FL; from sponge diving to Avgolemono, she takes a deep dive into the Greek time capsule that is Tarpon Springs.

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Ube in the Bay - Daly City, CA
star
7.57
14 votes

#8 - Ube in the Bay - Daly City, CA

Season 2 - Episode 6 - Aired 5/5/2023

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.

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Ciao New York - New York City, NY
star
7.56
16 votes

#9 - Ciao New York - New York City, NY

Season 2 - Episode 10 - Aired 5/5/2023

Padma reminisces about her years in Italy, where she experienced the spirit of "la bella vita," the beautiful life; hungry for some life balance, she turns to her Italian American friends in NY to reveal their secrets, starting with pizza.

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Burritos at the Border
star
7.54
52 votes

#10 - Burritos at the Border

Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 6/18/2020

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.

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Dancing in Little Lima!
star
7.52
27 votes

#11 - Dancing in Little Lima!

Season 1 - Episode 8 - Aired 6/18/2020

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.

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What Is Chop Suey Anyway?
star
7.51
39 votes

#12 - What Is Chop Suey Anyway?

Season 1 - Episode 5 - Aired 6/18/2020

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

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The Pad Thai Gamble
star
7.46
24 votes

#13 - The Pad Thai Gamble

Season 1 - Episode 9 - Aired 6/18/2020

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.

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The Original Americans
star
7.40
30 votes

#14 - The Original Americans

Season 1 - Episode 7 - Aired 6/18/2020

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.

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Zen and the Art of Poke
star
7.38
24 votes

#15 - Zen and the Art of Poke

Season 1 - Episode 10 - Aired 6/18/2020

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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Padma and the Beanstalk - Appalachia
star
7.29
21 votes

#16 - Padma and the Beanstalk - Appalachia

Season 2 - Episode 3 - Aired 5/5/2023

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.

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From Kabul with Love - Washington, DC
star
7.23
22 votes

#17 - From Kabul with Love - Washington, DC

Season 2 - Episode 2 - Aired 5/5/2023

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.

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Ketchup or No Ketchup - Puerto Rico
star
7.05
19 votes

#18 - Ketchup or No Ketchup - Puerto Rico

Season 2 - Episode 1 - Aired 5/5/2023

Padma gets to the heart and stomach of Puerto Rico's fight for independence by examining a surprisingly controversial topic of whether ketchup belongs on the Puerto Rican dish pasteles.

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The All American Weiner
star
7.03
37 votes

#19 - The All American Weiner

Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 6/18/2020

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.

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The Borscht Identity - New York City, NY
star
6.82
17 votes

#20 - The Borscht Identity - New York City, NY

Season 2 - Episode 4 - Aired 5/5/2023

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.

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