Immigration has changed food landscape in a way we don’t really even realise
NADIYA HUSSAIN’S LATEST SERIES SEES HER EXPLORING THE FLAVOURS OF AMERICA, DANIELLE DE WOLFE CATCHES UP WITH THE BAKE OFF CHAMPION
SWAPPING the confines of the kitchen for the wideopen plains of North America, Nadiya Hussain has set out on an altogether different kind of culinary adventure. Uncovering the way in which migrants have shaped modern American cuisine, new two-part BBC 1 documentary series Nadiya’s American Adventure is the latest gourmet offering coming to a screen near you.
It’s been quite the journey for the Great British Bake Off series six champion, whose instantly recognisable smile and can-do attitude elevated her to national treasure status.
After making the BBC’s 100 Most Influential Women list, and with a host of shows including Nadiya Bakes, Nadiya’s Time To Eat and Nadiya’s British Food Adventure under her belt, the 35-year-old British baker has this time journeyed to the other side of the Atlantic. Exploring the flavoursome food offerings served up across California and Louisiana, Nadiya discovers the tacos worth indulging in, the king cakes to try, and the soul food the American southern state has become famous for. We sit down and discover more about Nadiya’s American Adventure from the Bake Off winner and delve deeper into her crosscountry food expedition.
What was it about the people and this adventure that really resonated with you?
AS a British Bangladeshi woman, born and raised in Britain, to immigrant parents, being British wasn’t important to my parents, but understanding our Bengali roots was. From the way we behaved, to the way we ate, to the way we interact to the way we dressed. It was all a part of who we were raised.
As a child I never understood its importance but as a grown-up, I do.
Did you have a favourite location on the trip?
IT’S hard, but if I had to pick one it was the Roots of Music (a non-profit organisation in New Orleans). In an area forgotten after Hurricane Katrina, it was beautiful to see hope in these children’s eyes as they are freed through the music they play.
You also visited a Guatemalan night market...
PEOPLE, mostly women, were cooking all sorts of delicious food, some off stoves and gas, but mostly makeshift grills, on shopping trolleys. There was something saddening about the situations these people are in that has forced them to cook in a night market, but they get to cook the food from the home countries they’ve fled from and they get to socialise, eat and have a great night and feed many, many people who are on their way home from work or out just to eat authentic Central American food.
Did the stories of any individual really capture your attention?
A MAN called Burnell, his story really stood out to me.
He is a real beacon of hope for his community, constantly trying to build up and recreate the hub of his community through his grocery store. While the area was very quiet and very few people returned after Hurricane Katrina and the floods, he came back and stayed and has been rebuilding ever since. (He is a) Total inspiration of a human being and we can all be a little bit more like him.
Were there any surprising moments along the way?
THE rodeo girls really surprised me. The need to use their culture of girls riding to keep in touch with their Mexican heritage was something that really touched me emotionally. Plus I got to ride a horse, which was thrilling.
Nadiya’s American Adventure is on BBC1 on Thursday at 8pm