Diary of a Foodie: Season 3 : gourmet.com

Korea: Ancient Food, Modern World

Episode 46

In Korea, food doesn’t simply influence culture; it defines it. Korea’s food remains tied to a venerable past with cooking techniques that reflect its royal dynasties and home kitchens. Watch a certified royal-cuisine chef exercise precision and patience to create kimchi, a fermented-vegetable dish. Discover authentic North Korean recipes, part of a disappearing cuisine largely unknown to the outside world. And in the Gourmet test kitchen, editor in chief Ruth Reichl shares a simple yet flavorful recipe for warm tofu with spicy sauce.

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RECIPES
Bindae Duk (Korean Mung-Bean Pancakes)
Jong-Gol (Korean Mushroom and Beef Hot Pot)
Quick Kimchi
Warm Tofu with Spicy Garlic Sauce

Photograph by Imagemore Co. LTD/Getty

Tasmania: The Next Culinary Frontier

Episode 47

With its rich volcanic soils, clean air, and pristine waters, the island of Tasmania, off the southeast coast of Australia, is quickly becoming a food utopia. Visit Tasmania’s first Wagyu beef ranch, where cattle roam lush seaside pastures to produce some of the world’s highest-quality beef. Meet a truffle expert who took a gamble on Tasmania’s climate and won when he became the only person in the past century to grow truffles in Australia. Then head out to a smokehouse located in an organic apple orchard. Back in the Gourmet test kitchen, food editor Paul Grimes prepares a recipe for Mediterranean Lamb Salad, a dish made from an interesting cut of meat he discovered in Tasmania.

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RECIPE
Mediterranean Lamb Salad

Photograph by Manfred Gottschalk/Photo Library

Turkey: Iftar in Istanbul

Episode 48

Travel to Istanbul, an ancient Turkish city that weaves its way through the Byzantine, Roman, and Ottoman empires. During the holy month of Ramadan, locals fast from sunrise to sunset. Join a food author for the Iftar meal, the traditional feast when the fast is broken. Discover the beauty of güllaç, a multilayered dessert studded with pistachios and pomegranates. In the Gourmet test kitchen, executive editor John “Doc” Willoughby prepares spicy grilled köfte, a Turkish street-food favorite.

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RECIPES
Güllaç (Turkish Rustic Milk Baklava)
Lamb Kofte with Garlic Yogurt Sauce
Turkish Herbed Beef-and-Rice-Stuffed Peppers, Zucchini, and Tomatoes
Yogurt Sauce

Photograph by Yoray Liberman/Getty Images

The Collective

Episode 49

Around the world, chefs and farmers are using their culinary talents to do more than just nourish. They’re helping reshape society. In a small town in upstate Vermont, meet four men who have created a sustainable food infrastructure. Cross the globe to Hanoi, Vietnam and visit a center that gives street kids the skills they need to work in the restaurant industry. High above Oaxaca, Mexico, the native people of a village play unique roles in their agricultural system. And in the Gourmet test kitchen, editor in chief Ruth Reichl turns grilled cheese sandwiches from ordinary to extraordinary with locally sourced ingredients.

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RECIPES
Four-Cheese Fondue
Trout Empapelado
Ultimate Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Photograph by Richard Foulser

Tuscan Simplicity

Episode 50

Tuscany abounds with pride and passion for local ingredients. Meet the area’s masters of cucina rustica, who explain why the simplest dishes can be the most delicious. A baker reveals the secrets of saltless bread, the foundation of every Tuscan meal. In Florence, grab lunch at a street cart that keeps the city’s 700-year-old obsession with tripe alive. Head to the sea with a fisherman who grills his catch right off the side of his boat. Then share the primal experience of cooking steak over live fire with the most famous butcher in Tuscany.

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RECIPES
Mixed Grilled Fish
Panzanella (Italian Bread Salad)
Tripe Salad
Tuscan Kale

Photograph by Sergio Pitamitz/Corbis