Global food Merrilees Parker, Ben O'Donoghue, Tyler Florence and other globetrotting gourmets discovered techniques and traditions of food around the world.

In this article

Episode one Episode two Episode three Episode four

Episode five Episode six Episode seven

Episode eight Episode nine Episode ten

In Brazil, Merrilees filled up on sweet street food, while getting swept up by the infectious energy of street drummers in the Afro-influenced coastal city of Salvador, capital of the state of Bahia.

After helping to offer food to the Candomblé Gods, she ended her Brazilian experience with beach food and the national Saturday dish, Feijoada, a bean stew with salted beef or pork. Try these recipes for Pineapple and prawn salsa (Molho lambao com abacaxi) and Cassava and cheese fritters (Bolinhos de mandioca e queijo) for a taste of Brazilian food.

Thailand is home to some of the most pungent, spicy and fresh ingredients in the world and cookery skills are held in high esteem. In this episode, Merrilees visited shops in the floating markets of Bangkok and the night market in Chiang Mai and discovered beautiful fresh fruit and the notoriously whiffy durian fruit. Try our selection of Thai and S E Asian recipes.

Autumn in Burgundy is a food-lover’s dream. Merrilees explored the golden vineyards of the Côte d’Or, picked grapes, celebrated with local winemakers and learned which wines go best with local delicacies. Merrilees visited typical food markets, went mushroom hunting and ate at a farmyard restaurant run by farmers' wives. Recreate Merrilees’ experience with these classic recipes for Beef bourguignon and Tarte tatin.

Ben O'Donoghue took the reins in this episode, travelling to Morocco, where he kicked off with lunch at the camel market in Casablanca. In Fez, Ben learned to cook Harira, the soup that typically breaks the Muslim fast of Ramadan.

On towards the gateway of the desert, Ben hit the exotic city of Marrakesh and explored both the chicken market and olive market, discovering how to make a classic Chicken, olive and preserved lemon tagine. Later in the High Atlas mountains, Ben visited a traditional Berber village where he discovered argan oil (an oil made from nuts from the argan tree) and amalou (an almond honey paste) being prepared in the age-old way. Try one of our North African recipes if you like what you see.

Padma Lakshmi was the globetrotting gourmet in this episode, travelling first to Bangalore, where she enjoyed a typical South Indian breakfast, a masala dosa at the Mavalli Tiffin Rooms. Then she visited India’s largest women’s co-operative to make sun-dried poppadums.

Thereafter, Padma journeyed south to the lush coastal state of Kerala to explore the spice warehouses in Cochin and gain an insight into the world’s only international pepper exchange. Padma met up with a local chef and together they cooked a fragrant coconut fish stew among the tropical backwaters of Kerala.

Padma continued her travels, crossing through the Cardamom Hills and over the Western Ghats by train, to find her journey's end at a large temple to the Hindu god Krishna, where the dining rooms are open to hungry worshipers. Search for Indian recipes on our database for further Indian inspiration.

Tyler Florence explored the delicacies of Central Italy. He visited gastro-shops in Bologna and celebrated at a local chestnut festival. November is the olive harvest season, so Tyler joined farmers in picking and pressing this year’s olives, discovering just how delicious freshly made olive oil tastes.

In Florence he indulged in pizza, various breads, tripe sandwiches and classic Italian ice cream, and participated in an annual butchers’ festival. Search for Italian recipes.

Merrilees headed for the sunny islands of the Caribbean. First stop was Puerto Rico, where she discovered that the Puerto Ricans' love of roast pork and coffee dates back to the island’s Spanish heritage. Next Merrilees headed to the island of St Kitts, where the English once ruled from colonial plantation houses that have now been turned into gourmet restaurants.

On the French island of Guadeloupe, Merrilees found some truly French flavours in everything from pastry to rum. Her journey ended in Trinidad during one of the world's biggest street parties, the annual Carnival, where she sampled Trini favourites like roti (a flatbread filled with meat stew), corn soup (made with split peas and corn on the cob), pelau (a rice dish) and, of course, rum. Search for Caribbean recipes.

Padma embarked on an overland adventure across Southern Spain, starting in the Andalucian capital Seville. She sought out authentic tapas bars and discovered a flamenco bar, where she practiced a few steps between sips of Sangria.

Next Padma headed to Jerez de la Frontera, where she met a local chef and they cooked with the typically Spanish combination of fish and sherry. Then, in a small fishing village on the Atlantic coast, Sanlúcar de Barrameda, she found out more about the production of top-quality Manzanilla sherry.

In La Mancha she attended the annual Saffron Harvest festival, before learning how to make authentic paella in the Costa del Sol. Then it was onto the sleepy town of Bunol to throw tomatoes during the wild Tomatina festival and back into the kitchen to make gazpacho. Try this selection of Spanish recipes.

Tyler got away from the common notions of Americanised Mexican food and looked for the heart and soul of Mexican cuisine. He started his journey in Mexico City where he explored vibrant markets and discovered just how hot chillies can get. A quick sip of tequila took him to the heartland of Oaxaca where he found out how tequila's sister drink, mescal, is made.

Tyler sampled some excellent chocolate, another favourite of Mexico. In the beautiful city of Puebla he learnt how to prepare the national dish, Mole, which is turkey with chocolate sauce, originally invented by a local nun, by accident. His journey ended on the east coast where Mexican flavours blend with the Caribbean Sea. Try these recipes for Mexican-style Hot chocolate, Refried beans, Real guacamole and read more about chillies.

German cuisine is much more than just sauerkraut and beer as Merrilees Parker found out in Planet Food, Germany. She visited the world famous Oktoberfest where she discovered the best of German beers, as well as the Weisswurst - Bavaria’s very own sausage.