Nadiya’s American Adventure

Editorial

BBC One West Midlands

Nadiya's American Adventure

Documentaries

Factual: Food & Drink

Nadiya Hussain travels to the USA to explore some of the most vibrant food on earth.

Series 1

BBC Two

BBC One London

London

Simulcast of network BBC One in high definition. From 03/11/2010

BBC One HD

The BBC East region started on 1st May 1959 as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One East.

BBC One East

Simulcast of BBC One Wales in high definition. From 29/01/2013

BBC One Wales HD

The BBC South region started on 5th January 1961 as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One South.

BBC One South

The BBC West region started on 1st September 1957 as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One West.

BBC One West

BBC One region covering Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire.

BBC One East Midlands

BBC One Channel Islands

The BBC North East & Cumbria region started in 1959 (tbc) as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One North East & Cumbria.

BBC One North East & Cumbria

BBC One Wales

Wales

BBC One Scotland

Scotland

BBC One Yorks & Lincs

BBC One Oxfordshire

Simulcast of BBC One Northern Ireland in high definition. From 24/10/2012

BBC One Northern Ireland HD

BBC One Cambridgeshire

Simulcast of BBC One Scotland in high definition. From 14/01/2013

BBC One Scotland HD

BBC One Yorkshire

BBC Northern Ireland region started on 19th April 1955 as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One Northern Ireland.

BBC One Northern Ireland

Formerly part of a wider BBC One South East region that included London and part of the South region. Separated from BBC One London 2001-09-03 following reorganisation of the South East region.

BBC One South East

BBC One North West

The BBC South West region started on 20th April 1961 as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One South West.

BBC One South West

BBC Two England

England

Simulcast of network BBC Two in high definition.

BBC Two HD

Simulcast of BBC Two Northern Ireland in high definition

BBC Two Northern Ireland HD

Simulcast of BBC Two Wales in high definition

BBC Two Wales HD

BBC Two Northern Ireland

Until 03/01/2009 BBC Two Wales (analogue) was known simply as BBC Two Wales. BBC Two Wales (digital) was BBC 2W. From 03/01/2009 BBC Two Wales schedules on both analogue and digital became identical

BBC Two Wales

Nadiya Hussain

Katy Fryer

Anna Miralis

Laia Niubo

Laura Tjia

Wall to Wall Media

Nadiya's American Adventure: Series 1: Louisiana

Louisiana

BBC One - Nadiya's American Adventure, Series 1, Louisiana

Nadiya Hussain travels to Louisiana to explore some of America’s most vibrant food.

Nadiya Hussain travels to Louisiana to explore some of America’s most vibrant cuisines, from soul food in New Orleans to living off the land in the timeless Cajun swamps.

Nadiya Hussain has always been fascinated by America, home to more immigrants than any other country, and with some of the most vibrant food on the planet. She wants to find out more about this culinary melting pot, so sets out to explore two states she has always dreamt of visiting, Louisiana and California. 

Nadiya’s Louisianan food adventure starts in New Orleans, whose strategic position at the mouth of the Mississippi Delta has attracted newcomers for centuries from as far as Europe, the Caribbean and more recently from Vietnam. Nadiya arrives on the first day of Mardi Gras, which is celebrated by feasting on one of Nadiya’s favourite things – cake. In a bakery in the colourful Bywater neighbourhood, Nadiya rolls up her sleeves and makes iconic and indulgent king cakes bursting with Chantilly cream, before joining a lively street party where jazz musicians play carnival tunes and the Mardi Gras Indians parade. 

Next, Nadiya visits the Lower Ninth Ward, an African American neighbourhood that was devastated by Hurricane Katrina. She meets local hero Bernell, who has spent his life savings opening the area's own grocery store and soul food cafe, and learns how resilient residents are still having to fight to keep up with the rest of the city even after so many years. Nadiya helps Bernell’s mum Lily in the cafe before cooking up her twist on a New Orleans classic – a crispy fried chicken po boy sandwich.  

As Nadiya embarks on the next leg of her journey, she swaps the vibrancy of the city for the fabled bayous and swamps of Cajun country. Cajuns settled in Louisiana in the 18th century after fleeing persecution in French-speaking Canada and are known for their delicious Cajun cooking. Some of the finest is to be found in a tiny restaurant in the shrimping town of Galliano run by legendary 93-year-old great-great-grandma Alzina Toups. Nadiya joins Alzina in her kitchen and learns the secrets of her shrimp and okra gumbo and her black bean jambalaya, age-old family recipes that have been handed down through the generations. 

Curious to find out more about the Cajun lifestyle, Nadiya ventures deep into the eerie but beautiful swamps on a fishing trip with a family who still live off the land. Armed with fresh catfish, Nadiya cooks up a feast for the family before overnighting on a house on stilts. Out of her comfort zone, Nadiya worries that the swamp's notorious alligators may pay her a nighttime visit. 

Back in New Orleans, Nadiya heads to a charity that uses music and the tradition of marching bands as a unique way of keeping the city’s kids off the streets. She then immerses herself with a Vietnamese family of restaurateurs and discovers how these relative newcomers to the city are making a big splash on the city’s food scene. She ends her food adventure with an epic crayfish boil with a Vietnamese twist - a perfect example of the Louisianan culinary melting pot.

Accessibility links

Programme Index

Nadiya's American Adventure

Series 1

Louisiana

Contributors

Genres

Formats

Brand

Series

BBC One West Midlands

About BBC One