Ep 5. Fufu for the Win

In the fifth episode of season two of Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi, titled "Fufu for the Win," the host explores the food culture of West and Central Africa. Lakshmi begins in Houston, Texas, where she meets up with Chef Marcus Samuelsson, a frequent collaborator on the show, to visit a popular West African market. Here, they sample various traditional African ingredients, such as okra, yams, and plantains, and discuss the ways in which African cuisine has been historically underappreciated in the United States.

From Houston, Lakshmi travels to Washington D.C. to meet with Ashbell McElveen, an entrepreneur who owns several African restaurants in the area. Together, they visit the market in Silver Spring, Maryland, where they shop for ingredients to make fufu, a starchy dough made from cassava or yams that's a staple food in West and Central Africa.

Next, Lakshmi heads to Harlem, New York, to visit Ponty Bistro, a restaurant that fuses traditional African recipes with French cooking techniques. She meets with the owner and chef, Cisse Elhadji, to learn about his journey to opening the restaurant and to sample some of his dishes, including a flavorful lamb mafe, a West African peanut stew, and a seafood gumbo with a Senegalese twist.

The episode also features Lakshmi meeting with a group of young African American chefs who are making waves in the culinary world. They discuss the ways in which their African heritage influences their cooking and the challenges they've faced breaking into an industry that has traditionally been dominated by white chefs.

Throughout the episode, Lakshmi emphasizes the importance of recognizing the diversity and richness of African cuisine. She highlights the ways in which African ingredients and cooking methods have impacted cuisines around the world, from the rice and beans of the Caribbean to the jambalaya of Louisiana. "Fufu for the Win" is a celebration of the power of food to connect cultures and honor traditions.