Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi
2020 American docuseries
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Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi is an American travel and food documentary television series.[1][2] It stars Padma Lakshmi and follows her on her travels around the United States to learn about a specific food and culture in each city.[3][4] The series premiered on Hulu, on June 19, 2020.[5][6][7] In August 2020, it was renewed for a second season.[8][9] The series generally received positive reviews from critics.
Episodes
Series overview
| Season | Episodes | Originally released | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | June 18, 2020 | ||
| Holiday Edition | 4 | November 4, 2021 | ||
| 2 | 10 | May 5, 2023 | ||
Season 1 (2020)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Location | Food/Culture | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Burritos at the Border" | El Paso | Mexican | June 18, 2020 |
| 2 | 2 | "The All American Weiner" | Milwaukee | German | June 18, 2020 |
| 3 | 3 | "Don't Mind if I Dosa" | New York City | Indian | June 18, 2020 |
| 4 | 4 | "The Gullah Way" | South Carolina | Gullah Geechee | June 18, 2020 |
| 5 | 5 | "What is Chop Suey Anyway?" | San Francisco | Chinese | June 18, 2020 |
| 6 | 6 | "Where the Kebob Is Hot" | Los Angeles | Persian | June 18, 2020 |
| 7 | 7 | "The Original Americans" | Arizona | Native American | June 18, 2020 |
| 8 | 8 | "Dancing In Little Lima" | Paterson, New Jersey | Peruvian | June 18, 2020 |
| 9 | 9 | "The Pad Thai Gamble" | Las Vegas | Thai | June 18, 2020 |
| 10 | 10 | "Zen and the Art of Poke" | Honolulu | Japanese | June 18, 2020 |
Taste the Nation: Holiday Edition (2021)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title [10] | Location | Food/Culture | Original release date [11] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | 1 | "Happy Challah Days" | Lower East Side | Jewish | November 4, 2021 |
| 12 | 2 | "Truth and the Turkey Tale" | Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard | Wampanoag | November 4, 2021 |
| 13 | 3 | "Mojo-ho Christmas" | Miami | Cuban | November 4, 2021 |
| 14 | 4 | "K-Town Countdown" | Los Angeles | Korean | November 4, 2021 |
Season 2 (2023)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title [12] | Location | Food/Culture | Original release date [13] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | 1 | "Ketchup or No Ketchup" | Puerto Rico | Puerto Rican | May 5, 2023 |
| 16 | 2 | "From Kabul with Love" | Washington, D.C. | Afghan | May 5, 2023 |
| 17 | 3 | "Padma and the Beanstalk" | South Appalachia | Appalachian | May 5, 2023 |
| 18 | 4 | "The Borscht Identity" | New York | Ukrainian | May 5, 2023 |
| 19 | 5 | "Fufu for the Win" | Houston | Nigerian | May 5, 2023 |
| 20 | 6 | "Ube in the Bay" | San Francisco | Filipino | May 5, 2023 |
| 21 | 7 | "Greeks on the Gulf" | Tarpon Springs, Florida | Greek | May 5, 2023 |
| 22 | 8 | "On the Tip of my Kreung" | Lowell, Massachusetts | Cambodian | May 5, 2023 |
| 23 | 9 | "Halal from Dearborn" | Dearborn, Michigan | Arab | May 5, 2023 |
| 24 | 10 | "Ciao New York" | New York | Italian | May 5, 2023 |
Release
Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi premiered on Hulu on June 19, 2020.[14][15] In August 2020, Hulu renewed the show for a second season composed of 10 episodes, which was later truncated to 4 episodes due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and released as a holiday edition.[16][17] In March 2023, it was reported that Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi would return on Hulu on May 5, 2023, with a 10-episode second season.[18]
Reception
Critical response
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 100% approval rating with an average rating of 8.40/10, based on 19 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "A delicious and insightful reminder of the ways food brings us together, Taste the Nation explores the impact of indigenous and immigrant cuisine on American food as we know it."[19] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 79 out of 100 based on 6 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[20]
Accolades
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Gotham Awards | Breakthrough Series – Short Form | Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi | Nominated | [21][22] |
| 2021 | Critics' Choice Real TV Awards | Best Show Host | Padma Lakshmi | Nominated | [23][24] |
| Female Star of the Year | Nominated | ||||
| Television Critics Association Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Reality Programming | Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi | Nominated | [25][26] | |
| 2022 | Critics' Choice Real TV Awards | Best Show Host | Padma Lakshmi | Won | [27][28] |
| 2023 | Best Structured Series | Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi | Won | [29][30] | |
| Best Show Host | Padma Lakshmi | Won |