This is a script for a short documentary about world food. The world traveler, Park Minjun, tells interesting stories about each country’s traditional food.

Trying the local food is one of the easiest and best ways to experience the cultures of different countries. Not only can we experience the unique flavor of these foods, but also understand the cultural backgrounds behind them. Let’s travel to five countries and learn about the stories behind their traditional foods.

Rice is a staple food for many countries, including Korea. We’re going to look at rice dishes from two countries, one in the West and the other in the East, and see the similarities and differences in their cooking styles.

The first destination on our food trip is Spain, in the southwestern tip of Europe. Have you ever heard of the famous Spanish dish paella?

Paella’s history goes all the way back to the Roman Empire, when the Romans introduced utensils and irrigation technology to Spain. Irrigation made farming much easier and enabled the Spanish to produce many more grains, vegetables, and seasonings. Rice came to Spain with another group of conquerors, the Moors from North Africa in the 10th century. With the Roman irrigation technology already in place, Moorish rice flourished in Spain and became a staple crop by the 15th century.

The idea to add leftovers to a rice dish also comes from the Moors. Arabic servants in the Moorish royal court would often take leftovers home and cook them with rice in a pan. Saffron, which gives paella its yellow color, was another ingredient brought over by the Moors.

When you really think about it, paella is not just a delicious meal. It’s the union of the Romans and the Moors.

Our next destination is an Eastern country, the largest archipelago in the world, Indonesia. This country lies along the equator, and it has a tropical climate. Since most of the people are Muslims, they usually use chicken and seafood for their cooking.

Nasi goreng is a Southeast Asian fried rice dish and it's one of Indonesia's national dishes. Spicy Indonesian nasi goreng, like paella, is a rice dish using leftovers. According to folk tradition, the practice of frying rice with leftovers came to Indonesia through trade with China. This trade relationship flourished during the 10th to 15th centuries and brought thousands of Chinese immigrants with it. Chinese people usually prefer freshly cooked hot food and have a taboo against throwing away unused ingredients. As a result, these Chinese immigrants in Indonesia often re-cooked the previous day’s rice for breakfast the next morning. Frying also inhibited the spread of dangerous microbes and fungi, especially before the invention of refrigerators, and meant the immigrants didn’t have to throw away food.

Our third destination is Oaxaca, Mexico. It’s easy to fall in love with the colors of this city, especially when you appreciate the indigenous culture behind them. Since the Oaxaca region is surrounded by rough mountains, it was well protected from colonization. Unlike the Indonesians and Spanish who were influenced by foreign cultures, the people of Oaxaca maintained their native traditions. This contributed to making their diet very distinct from the rest of Mexican foods.

This culinary capital's dishes are known for being heavy in corn, chocolate, chili peppers, and mole. Mole is a dark and rich sauce that chefs drizzle over common Mexican foods. There are seven flavors of mole made from a variety of ingredients, with the most common being mole negro. Mole has been popular since the time of the Aztec Empire and has remained an iconic dish in Oaxaca ever since.

The next traditional food also comes from indigenous people — kangaroo meat in Australia. Historically, kangaroo meat has been an important source of protein for indigenous Australians—or Aborigines—going back at least 50,000 years.

It may seem weird that Australians eat their national animal, but kangaroo meat is delicious, high in protein, and low in fat. Kangaroo meat was only legalized for human consumption in the last few decades in Australia. Even now, kangaroos can only be hunted in the wild, and the numbers to be killed are limited by the government.

Many supermarkets in Australia now stock fillets, steaks, minced cuts, and even kangaroo sausages. Kangaroo is also popular in many Australian restaurants, where you can get kangaroo steaks, stews, and even burgers.

For the final country on our global food trip, let’s return to Korea.

Since our early years, most of us have enjoyed a variety of street foods. Among them, what is your comfort food?

Tteokbokki (spicy stir-fried rice cakes) is one of the most comforting and nostalgic foods for many Koreans. Since images of famous K-pop stars eating tteokbokki appeared on social media, tteokbokki has had a surge in global popularity, as depicted in the bar graph below. It’s a spicy stir-fried dish made of tteok (Korean rice cake), sweet red pepper sauce, and, sometimes, eomuk (fish cake). This dish is thought to have originated in the 19th century, during the Joseon Dynasty. At the time, it was served in the royal court.

Although this original version of tteokbokki was brown, the modern version is red due to the addition of gochujang (a spicy red pepper paste) that was introduced to Korea in the mid-20th century.

Traditional foods aren’t just for eating. They also signify people’s cultures. Throughout our journey around the world, we explored different foods within their historical, geographical, and religious contexts. This helps us see why each country is special and reminds us to be respectful of those who are different from us. I hope this inspires you to pay attention to the stories behind food in the future.