Boudin (pronounced "boo-dan") is the most popular sausage you've never heard of—unless, of course, you're from southern Louisiana, where it's basically the sixth food group. Made from a mixture of pork, liver, rice, cajun spices, and vegetables that's all stuffed into a hog casing, boudin is known for its wide array of flavors and textures. From gas stations to grocery stores, food trucks to restaurants, watch as MUNCHIES travels to Cajun country to find the best boudin around.
When it comes to beer, Oktoberfest is the ultimate destination—but with brews at center stage, most visitors forget to eat their way through the delicious food stands. Our host Michel Niknafs travels down to Bavaria to explore the culinary aspects of the world's biggest folk festival. From a traditional Weisswurst to German mackerel and crunchy pork knuckles, Oktoberfest is a true foodie heaven.
Whether it's beaver or pheasant, squirrel or penguin, roadkill connoisseur Alison Brierly has probably eaten it. We hit the road with Alison in search of her next meal, and make squirrel pot sticker dumplings and Southern-fried squirrel using the bounties of the highway.
At Franklin Barbecue in Austin, Texas, the food is so fucking tasty that hungry patrons have been known to wait in line for up to six and half hours to try it. (The time goes by a little easier when you've got folding chairs and a cooler full of beer by your side.) Our meat-loving host Pat Dean joins the purgatorial queue to find out why everyone from an entire bachelor party to a vegetarian is willing to tough it out for a taste of Franklin.
As the owner of Soy—the only Turkish company making copper and silver pots and pans completely by hand—Emir Ali Enç is responsible for everything from sourcing raw materials and meeting with international distributors to getting his hands dirty in the workshop when production needs to speed up. With a waiting list of two months and clients including oligarchs, Middle Eastern royals, and Michelin-starred chefs, Soy's operation has never been better. Get ready to spend the day with the busiest pot dealer in Istanbul.
In this short film about the life and work of one of London's most influential chefs, MUNCHIES follows Margot Henderson from her hidden restaurant—the Rochelle Canteen—to the Soho restaurants that helped make her career. With testimony from her friends Sarah Lucas and Sadie Coles as well as her trailblazing husband Fergus, this intimate portrait tells a nose-to-tail story of love, a passion for craft, and how one woman managed to change the taste of London cuisine forever.
In this episode of Munchies Presents, we introduce you to Steven Spurrier, possibly the single most influential living figure in the world of wine. If it weren’t for him, the industry would still be run by French aristocrats and none of us would ever have heard of the Napa Valley. From his personal cellar, to a tasting of Spain’s greatest wine, to the Dorset vineyard where he’s making English bubbly that shows up Champagne, we’ll find what exactly it means to be a world-class wine expert and hear the story of how he changed wine forever on one day in 1976.
New York City's Koreatown is filled with food, fun, and lots of alcohol. Our host Naomi Shimada heads out for the night with Pablo, known to many as the "King of Koreatown," who takes her out for a night of Korean barbecue, karaoke, and watermelon soju. The night begins at Kang Ho Dong Baekjeong, and then the gang heads to Pulse Karaoke for singing, wings, and beer. To top everything off, the crew hits Pocha 32 for a hollowed-out watermelon filled with soju, makgeolli, and a take on kimchi jjigae with mini hot dogs, Spam, ramen noodles, and mozzarella.
Le Bremner chef Danny Smiles hits up the east end of Montreal to learn the secrets of old-school Italian food prep and preservation from Mario Terrone and his wife Cathy. Under their watchful eye, Smiles gets a master class on backyard gardening, pickling, and making cavatelli by hand. He even gets a quick peek inside the Terrones’ top-secret cold room.
In the West, funeral catering is often limited to soggy fruit plates and cold-cut sandwiches. But that's not the case in Taiwan, where classic local delicacies like pork buns, fried chicken, and sashimi are on the menu, and the pallbearers get buzzed on rice-wine-heavy chicken soup. Held in honor of the deceased, these funeral feasts are prepared by traditional "village chefs" who specialize in ban-doh—outdoor banquets for community occasions ranging from weddings, births, and funerals to elections and festivals. Our host Joshua Frank attends the funeral of his friend's grandfather, who insisted before his passing that all guests at his memorial ceremony leave well-fed. Joshua travels to the tiny hamlet where village chef cuisine was born to see how the fading role of the village chef is being passed on between generations, and learns to cook an iconic ban-doh dish with a modern twist at a culinary school revitalizing the classic Taiwanese culinary tradition.
Luke Sandburg—a.k.a. “Lobster Luke”—is a friend everyone wants to have. Instead of paying nearly $40 per pound for California spiny lobster, he braves the dark waters off the coast of Venice, California, and catches those bad boys himself. We tagged along for a night dive and, along with some of Luke’s buddies, got to enjoy the succulent fruits of his labor.
For this MUNCHIES special, New York Knicks player Carmelo Anthony was chosen to host a dinner at Michael White's new French restaurant Vaucluse. The three-course dinner was paired with wines chosen by Carmelo himself, and while everyone enjoyed the '88 Krug and '82 Chateau Margaux, it was the 1985 Sassicaia that took home the honor of Carmelo's top pick.
Dave Asprey is the creator of Bulletproof Coffee, the butter coffee combo that has taken the health community by storm, and the the author of the Bulletproof diet. Applying his Silicon Valley background to his own health journey, Dave has spent over $300,000 to hack his own biology. Our host Max Lugavere heads to Dave's Biohacking facility outside of Victoria, British Columbia, to learn more about what it means to hack your own body and the benefits of leading a Bulletproof lifestyle.