Food Safari

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  • 1969
  • 9 Seasons
  • 7.6  (110)

Food Safari is an Australian food and travel television show hosted by journalist and foodie, Maeve O'Mara. The show first premiered on SBS in Australia in 2006 and went on from 2006 to 2013, consisting of different seasons focusing on a wide variety of cuisines. Each episode of Food Safari showcased the unique and diverse food of different cultural cuisines within Australia. The show explored the history, ingredients, cooking techniques, and cultural significance of each dish. As the show progressed, it expanded its explorations into cuisines from around the world such as Vietnamese, Mexican, Japanese, Israeli, and Scandinavian.

The aim of Food Safari was to showcase the multicultural nature of Australian food and how it was shaped by immigration, the evolution of the country, and the blending of different cultures. It highlighted the different cultural influences that have affected Australian food throughout history and how it has evolved into a blend of new and traditional flavors.

The show is filmed at different locations around Australia, with each episode focusing on a specific theme. Viewers can expect to see local chefs and home cooks preparing traditional dishes as well as exploring the new and exciting ways in which these dishes can be used in modern cooking.

The show is not only informative but also entertaining since it captures the heart and soul of the culture behind the food. O'Mara's fun and affable style of presenting allows the viewer to feel as though they are on a culinary journey with her. Her enthusiasm for food and learning is infectious, and her passion is evident in every episode.

Each episode is structured in a way that is easy to follow, starting with a brief history of the food being featured before moving on to the ingredients and techniques used to make it. The show also includes interviews with local chefs and foodies who provide valuable insights and tips into the world of food. The show is also visually appealing, with stunning cinematography that showcases the beauty of the dishes prepared.

One of the most significant highlights of Food Safari is the fusion of cultures that come together to create the featured dishes. The show emphasizes how common ingredients are used differently in various cultures, and how they can be combined in new and exciting ways.

The show also showcases the regional variations of the dishes, which differ from state to state in Australia. For instance, food from the south of Italy is different from that found in the north, and Australian chefs have added their own twist to traditional dishes such as the Vietnamese Pho soup.

Food Safari highlights the fact that Australian cuisine is just as diverse and multicultural as its people, and that there is no limit to the flavors and spices that can be used in cooking. It showcases that the best way to understand and appreciate a culture is through its food.

In conclusion, Food Safari is an excellent show that foodies and travelers alike will enjoy. The show is informative and entertaining, and it celebrates the diversity of Australian culture and food. The show is also a great source of inspiration for home cooks who want to experiment with different cuisines and introduce new flavors to their cooking style.

Food Safari is a series that ran for 9 seasons (103 episodes) between and on Janson Media

Food Safari
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Seasons
Water: Festive Fish
13. Water: Festive Fish
November 14, 2018
Every year Singaporean chef Alex Lee (Alex Lee Kitchen) makes Yusheng to celebrate the new year. The cold clear waters off Bruny island Tasmania are where lobster fisherman Clive Perryman harvests Southern Rock Lobster, a delicacy close to the heart of chef and wok master Chris Jin (China Doll), who grew up in Shanghai and always associated the lobster with a lucky dragon. Jin demonstrates how to cook the lobster with ginger and shallots, flamed with cognac for a truly show-stopping dish. In Senegal, the national dish of fish and rice is called thieboudienne, served on a huge communal platter. Aissatou Ba (Tastes of Senegal) shows how thieboudienne is made. In Brazil, seafood is very popular and the Bahia region in the north is home to a much-loved dish called bob? de camar?o which is made with prawns, cassava and dende oil, a favourite of chef Luiza Yu Gomes (1821, Civic Hotels, Universal Hotels Catering) who serves it with the beloved staple farofa made with cassava flour. One of the best seafood dishes of celebration comes from Lebanon - sayadieh, the pinnacle of many banquets and cooked by wholefoods chef and writer Fouad Kassab (Quirky Cooking's Life-Changing Food).
Water: Feel Good Fish
12. Water: Feel Good Fish
November 7, 2018
A cheese and leek topped pie made with perfect white fish, smoked fish, salmon and plump prawns is chef Nelly's Robinson's (Nel Restaurant) favourite dish from childhood. Refugee and fisherman Nigethan Sithirasegaram (Tamil Feasts), makes a classic Sri Lankan crab curry. Talented home cooks Aurora Charabati demonstrates a fish and chips variation from Lebanon using the whole garfish. The fish that launched a thousand ships - salted dried cod - is a delicious comfort food treat for chef Jose Silva (Bibo Wine Bar) - his Bacalhau ? Br?s recipe sees cod soaked and cooked in a rich sauce with slowly cooked onions, eggs and shoestring potatoes.
Water: Freshwater
11. Water: Freshwater
October 31, 2018
Tasmanian-based chef Masaaki Koyama (Masaaki's Sushi Geeveston) heads out in the misty mornings on the Huon River to haul up eel nets set the night before, grilling his catch and brushing with a delicious soy glaze. Founder of the acclaimed Tasmanian cooking school The Agrarian Kitchen chef Rodney Dunn (The Agrarian Eatery) prepares local eels in a brine and cold smoke them on his farm. On a pristine mountain stream in Victoria's High Country, chef Anthony Simone (Baby Caf? & Pizzeria) takes us to his favourite trout fishing spot from childhood and shares his simple recipe for smoking trout using a wok, hickory chips and eucalyptus leaves. Dynamic Vietnamese chef Jerry Mai (Annam Restaurant and Bar) cooks a spectacular grilled Murray cod with herbs, including a wicked dipping sauce. Revered chef Peter Gilmore (Quay, Bennelong) shares his signature Australian dish of red claw yabbies and buckwheat pikelets.
Water: Surf & Turf
10. Water: Surf & Turf
October 24, 2018
Pairing the proteins of ocean and earth leads to an intriguing episode with some diverse and inspired flavour combinations. Vietnamese chef Dai Duong (Uncle, Uncle Collins) makes the classic Chao Tom, grilled to golden perfection. In the pre-dawn hours we join legendary brothers Meng and William Woon (Malay Chinese Takeaway) in making their rich prawn and pork stock, sharing their secret recipe that's the basis of their iconic har mee soup. At the mouth of the Murray River, pipis are harvested by Alistair Scott-Young (Goolwa Pipi Company); Diogo Ferreira (Village on Cloey) and his mother Lucia use pipis combined with pork for a classic carne de porco a Alentejana. The elegant pairing of veal and tuna make vitello tonnato, shared by Pugliese chef Giuseppe Fuzio (Chiosco). Chef Martin Benn (Sepia) creates food as art as a tiger prawn morphs into a silky single sheet served with umami-rich broth made with the world's most expensive jamon iberico.
Water: Preserved
9. Water: Preserved
October 17, 2018
Food Safari water captures the sheer adventure of one of the world's great marine migrations - following the mullet run up Australia's east coast, harvesting the roe to make the age-old preserved product bottarga, used as "the parmesan of the sea" by Sardinian chef Giovanni Pilu (Pilu at Freshwater) in a simple but fabulous spaghetti alla bottarga. BJ Plummer (Woodbridge Smokehouse, Tasmania) explains hot and cold smoking of salmon and ocean trout and the care taken to hand slice the rosy fish. Also in Tasmania, Japanese chef Masaaki Koyama (Masaaki's Sushi, Geeveston) introduces how dashi is made and uses leftover bonito flakes to make a calcium rich sprinkle for rice called furikake. Malaysian Chinese chef Victor Liong (Lee Ho Fook) shares his version of the Chinese tradition of making XO sauce while chef Frank Camorra (Movida) shows a simple Spanish recipe for pickling sardines with an escabeche sauce.
Water: One Pot
8. Water: One Pot
October 10, 2018
The simplicity of cooking and serving seafood in one pot is a hallmark of cuisines around the world. Chef Angie Hong shares the secrets of Vietnamese claypot and Cajun chef Chris Weysham (Po' Boy Quarter, East of Everything) cooks his version of a crawfish boil with a spicy base and a mountain of prawns and crabs. Belgian chef David Coumont (Moxhe) cooks up a pot of mussels using eschallots and a splash of wine. Peruvian chef and teacher Jorge Chacon cooks the renowned hangover cure parihuela. Thai-Australian cafe owner and farmer Palisa Anderson (Boon Caf?) makes jungle curry using butterflied whiting while Spanish chef Gerardo Iglesias makes fideua in a paella pan on the jetty at Geelong, Victoria.
Water: Shellfish
7. Water: Shellfish
October 3, 2018
Shark-defying scallop diver Paulie Polacco harvests some of the world's most prized queen scallops off Kangaroo Island. Adelaide-based Calabrese chef Salvatore Pepe (Pepe's Cucina) uses queen scallops to create a delicious mouthful called capesante gratinate. Mussel farmer Lance Wiffen harvests his 'black gold" at Port Arlington on Port Philip Bay, Victoria explaining how sustainable and delicious these shellfish are. Turkish chef Somer Sivrioglu (Anason, Efendy) shares his recipe for midye dolma and how to eat them Istanbul style, using the shell as a scoop. Italian dynamo Paola Toppi (Bar Machiavelli), loves the delicate sweetness of blue swimmer crab and uses it to star in her three-minute masterpiece, cooked with fresh pappardelle pasta. Continuing the Italian love of shellfish, chef Danny Russo (Candelori's, Russolini Group) reckons scampi is the best gift of the ocean and cooks the delicate shellfish in a wood-fired oven.
Water: Fish On Fire
6. Water: Fish On Fire
September 26, 2018
Cooking fish over fire is an instant call to the tastebuds. Chef Lennox Hastie (Firedoor) takes his grill to a NSW south coast beach to cook a perfect whole flathead over coals, served with an ingenious pil-pil sauce. In Sydney's Western suburbs, Vietnamese man of fire chef Ben Nguyen (Hai Au) cooks periwinkles and cockles while former Hanoi-born restaurateur Li?n Yeomans shares her recipe for Ch? c? l? v?ng. Andrew McConnell (Cumulus Inc, Cutler and Co, Supernormal etc) forages for coastal vegetables on the Mornington Peninsula and cooks calamari over charcoal, making his own oyster sauce from scratch. Croatian chef of 40 years Ranko Despot (Balkan Seafood Restaurant) shows the traditional Gardella grill and cooks up a number of different fish, sharing tips and techniques on cooking perfect fish.
Water: Fish Bites
5. Water: Fish Bites
September 19, 2018
Exquisite snacks based on seafood star in many cuisines around the world. Chef Frank Camorra (Movida Aqui) shares his recipe for luscious salty bun?uelos de bacalao. Larger than life Greek chef Thomas Deliopoulos (Mykonos Restaurant, Kalimera Souvlaki) shows how to create two perfect dishes using a mighty five-kilo octopus - preserved in oil and cooked over charcoal. In the Thai world, the perfect seafood mouthfuls come from Northern Thailand in the form of miang kham - a multi-textured wake up for the taste buds from chef Pacharin 'Air' Jantrakool (Chon Thai). Louisiana style seafood sandwiches in the form of po' boys using battered fried oysters and marinated prawns are prepared by chef Chris Weysham (Po' Boy Quarter and East of Everything). Chef Danny Russo (Candelori's, Russolini Group) uses neonata mixed with fermented chilli to create a Calabrese speciality known as "poor man's caviar", while Kiwi expatriate home cook Kate Kennedy whips up New Zealand's beloved white bait fritters which are served with buttered square white bread.
Water: Raw
4. Water: Raw
August 22, 2018
The pure clean taste of the ocean is celebrated in this episode which explores the natural briny flavour of the three main types of oysters with Clyde River 'oyster affineur' Steve Feletti (Moonlight Flat Oysters) and Lee and Suzanne Macefield (Get Shucked) on Bruny Island. Japanese sashimi and sushi chef Chase Kojima (Sokyo, Gojima) shows the knives and precision needed to create the most exquisite mouthfuls using the best raw fish for sashimi and sushi. Chef Louis Tikaram (EP&LP, West Hollywood) shares his recipe for making "white gold" Kokoda. Australia's most acclaimed chef Tetsuya Wakuda (Tetsuya's, Waku Ghin Singapore) celebrates the less popular species of fish which he says are actually more delicious, especially blue or slimy mackerel which he uses raw and cures with slices of dried kelp to create an inventive salad with shaved fennel. Italian chef Gabriele Taddeucci (Balla) slices beautiful red emperor for a classic crudo, dressed with blood orange and olive oil. Celebrated international Lebanese chef Greg Malouf uses the same techniques used for Lebanon's national dish kibbe nayeh with raw salmon, adding spices and serving it with the lightest mountain bread.
Water: Whole Fish
3. Water: Whole Fish
August 15, 2018
Food Safari Water joins the pumping kitchen at the popular Golden Century which specialises in live fish and seafood and Eric Wong explains the cultural significance and meaning of eating a whole fish. Thai chef and restaurateur Amy Chanta (Chat Thai) deep-fries snapper and serves it with a fresh green mango salad with lots of herbs. Chef Tan (Malacca Straits) cooks a fish head curry with a creamy coconut curry base and Simon Lee (Masak Ku) teaches the secrets to the rich curry sauce. Self-described 'fish nerd" chef Josh Niland (Saint Peter) shows how to break down a 15 kilo wild kingfish and develops recipes for an "eye chip"; smoked heart, pan-fried liver, seared milt (sperm sac) and deep-fried scales to add extra salty goodness to dishes. Last stop, assured master of the French kitchen chef Jacques Reymond (Bistro Gitan, L'Otel Gitan) shows how to prepare rouget (red mullet) roasted 'en papillote'.
Water: Sea Treasures
2. Water: Sea Treasures
August 8, 2018
iver James Palanowski works in the eight-degree water off Tasmania's east coast to harvest abalone, which is then used by acclaimed Chinese chef Frank Shek (China Doll) who teaches a home sous-vide method to achieve a spectacular spiced seafood omelette. Forager Peter Hardwick shares his favourite place on the NSW North Coast to find sea vegetables including samphire, seablite and pig face. In Tasmania James Ashmore (Ashmore Foods Tasmania) demonstrates how he preserves wakame and Tasmania's favourite Japanese chef Masaaki Koyama (Masaaki's Sushi) uses wakame to create a salad with octopus finished with a dressing using dashi. The salmon roe harvest in the Yarra Valley is spectacular as the fish laden with eggs are anaesthetised in a bath of clove oil-induced water and their jewel-like orange roe 'milked'. Caviar is the crowning glory of pioneering Greek chef Peter Conistis' (Alpha Restaurant) signature dish moussaka of eggplant, seared scallops and taramasalata.
Water: From the Water
1. Water: From the Water
August 1, 2018
Maeve journeys into the Top End of Australia to seek out wild barramundi with local fisherman Billy Boustead and his chef friend, legendary Darwin and Alice Springs restaurateur Jimmy Shu (Hanuman). Next stop is the Sydney Fish Market with De Costi's chief buyer Carmelo Lombardo, and renowned seafood chef Steve Hodges shares some of the secrets of cooking fish perfectly. Alberto Fava (Tipo 00) makes his inspired signature dish of squid ink tagliolini and calamari with salmon roe and bottarga. Maeve discovers how sea salt is produced in the Spencer Gulf South Australia by Olsson's, and sea salt and rock salt are then used in a classic Sicilian recipe for whole baked snapper in a salt crust by chef Lino Sauro.
Description
Where to Watch Food Safari
Food Safari is available for streaming on the Janson Media website, both individual episodes and full seasons. You can also watch Food Safari on demand at Prime Video and Amazon.
  • IMDB Rating
    7.6  (110)