Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi - Season 2

Padma gets to the heart (and stomach) of Puerto Rico's fight for independence by examining a surprisingly controversial topic: does ketchup belong on the beloved Puerto Rican dish pasteles?

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.

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 – and picks up some banjo playing along the way.

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.

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

Sizzling silogs, sour sinigang…and sweet spaghetti? 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.

Padma eats her way through the seaside city of Tarpon Springs, Florida, which may as well be a Greek Island. From sponge diving to Avgolemono, she takes a deep dive into the Greek time capsule that is Tarpon Springs.

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

Padma visits Dearborn, a.k.a the Arab American "bubble", during Ramadan, the holiest period of the year for Dearborn's Muslim community.  Cruising in muscle cars and diving into  local eateries, Padma discovers the abundance of sweets and savory meats.

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