SBS has today launched Bad Taste, a new podcast series exploring the concept of good food' - uncovering the lesser-known stories behind the Australian palate, and analysing who calls the shots on what's deemed a delicacy or a dud.
Hosted by renowned Melbourne food writer Jess Ho, episode 1 examines the controversial staple Spam, and its changing relevance from an army ration to a food that's found in pantries worldwide. The episode also features fascinating insights from head chef of stellar Melbourne restaurant Etta, Rosheen Kaul, and Kooking with a Koori home chef and influencer Nathan Lyons.
Available now on the SBS Radio app and all popular podcast platforms, new episodes of Bad Taste will drop every Wednesday.
Through the six part series, Ho explores how we define ourselves through the foods we eat, dissecting the question - who gets to decide what good and bad food is? Featuring some of the industry's biggest names including award-winning writer, farmer, and researcher Bruce Pascoe, and Thi Le, chef and co-owner of restaurant Anchovy and Ca Com B nh M , the series will uncover surprising stories behind foods like spam, native grains and b nh m .
Ho's journey will take listeners along the 36,000-year-old story of Aboriginal breadmaking using ancient grains, exploring how these could be the answer to Australia's water shortage; examine the messy history behind the much-loved and lesser-known East African lasagne; as well as discussing the emotional significance of instant noodles in Asian culture - are they junk food or delicacy?
Along the way, Ho examines the human cost of food production, giving voice to farmers, researchers, expert eaters and chefs all fighting to have their voice recognised - through the ingredients they champion, the aisles they stock, the prices they charge, and the people they hire.
Podcast host Jess Ho said, I spent a lot of time as a food writer oversimplifying any cuisine that wasnt French, which made me wonder why we would expect the general public to automatically know what steak tartare is but have to explain something like yukhoe by comparison. In Bad Taste, I wanted to explore the complexity of different dishes and let them be their own hero, rather than contextualise them to something European. I wanted to explore the full story behind each dish and see how they make us who we are.
Through this insightful series, Ho challenges us to think differently about food - questioning our perceptions of value. Ultimately, it all comes down to one question: what is good taste anyway?
The first episode of Bad Taste is now available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and via the SBS Radio app, with new episodes available on Wednesdays.
For a PDF version of this media release, click here.
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SBS has today launched Bad Taste, a new podcast series exploring the concept of good food' - uncovering the lesser-known stories behind the Australian palate, and analysing who calls the shots on what's deemed a delicacy or a dud. 
