In a country known for adventure, Jeff Corwin needs serious skills to discover the culinary experience of New Zealand. Jeff repels deep into the Waitomo Caves into mysterious underground rivers for green-finned eels and then free dives for monster spiny lobster and prized black abalone in the coastal town of Kaikoura. In a world with two distinct cultures, Jeff connects with traditional Maori tribes of the North Island for crayfish hunting and a Hangi feast cooked in boiling sulfur springs. Then he visits the South Island for sheep herding and a colonial goose – a deceptive mutton dish shaped like a goose created by the British colonists.
Jeff Corwin explores the cultural regions of Spain in search of their culinary specialties. On the rough coast of Galicia, known as the Coast of Death, he dives headfirst into a job that claims the lives of several fishermen a year in search of prized gooseneck barnacles that thrive in the rough seas. Jeff hunts down the flavorful and savored ham of acorn-eating Iberico pigs in La Alberca as he travels inland and participates in an annual harvest ritual celebrating a species of wild green onion in Valls. To wrap up his tasty adventure, he visits a bustling Barcelona market in search of pig parts to make a classic Catalan escudella, and he tries out his cooking skills as he prepares bacalao a pil pil, a difficult cod dish, for a men’s club in San Sebastian.
In a country famous for its refined cuisine, Jeff Corwin travels off the beaten path to discover the gastronomic delights of central Italy. On the scenic, wide-open range of Tuscany, Jeff saddles up with Italy’s cowboys to help with the huge-horned cattle and share a working meal. He heads to the coast to catch cuttlefish for an inky pasta dish and then hunts down elusive black truffles in San Miniato with the help of trained dogs. Off the picturesque coast of Le Marche, Jeff dives for wild mussels with no machinery or oxygen tanks for a traditional fisherman barbecue on the beach. He rounds out his exploration in the hill town of Castel del Monte with a taste of tangy maggot cheese.