Sweet Planet is a six-part, visually stunning series that takes viewers around the world to explore the culinary and cultural impact of sugar in cooking and food rituals. It will premiere on CGTN on March 29. A trailer of the series can be viewed here.
Sweet Planet travels to different countries and remote corners of world to uncover sweet treats that have developed in diverse regions to satiate appetites and emotional needs over the centuries. In each episode, viewers will be introduced to not only the sweet creations themselves, but the stories of the local chefs, farmers, and artisans behind these delectable delicacies.
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Episode Guide
- “The Sweetness of Nature” – The origin of sweetness lies in nature’s fruits and plants. This episode explores everything from Iceland’s Reykjanes salt to China’s Xinjiang grapes to the natural brewing of Dutch mead. It celebrates nature’s diversity in sweetness, highlighting nature as the ultimate brewer and inviting us to savor life’s pure delights.
- “Sweetness in the Family” – This episode looks at the crafts and recipes passed down through the generations. From the ancient sweet shops of Copenhagen to the maple sugar shacks of Canada to the taro paste of Fuzhou, we witness how food transcends its taste to become a symbol of cultural identity and family legacy.
- “The Collision of Sweetness” – Sweet flavors often blend with others to create rich, new food cultures. This episode looks at the sweet and sour Squirrel Mandarin Fish of Suzhou, China and Pakistan’s traditional gulab jamun sweets.
- “The Creation of Sweetness” – Contemporary chefs create forms of sweetness with frivolity and craftsmanship. This episode features a pastry maker and cake master from Beijing, China who crafts exquisite desserts and pastries drawing inspiration from ancient palace traditions and rich folklore; sweet desserts in Ushuaia, Argentina, the farthest town on the South American continent and the closest to Antarctica; and the rice wine made from Yunnan rose brown sugar and draws inspiration from local flavors.
- “The Migration of Sweetness” – Sweetness transcends borders, melding into local traditions and unique cuisines. The Peter Pan Donut, cherished for 70 years and now guided by Greek descendant Christos since 1993, champions the craft of handmade pastries amidst fast-food culture, earning enduring customer loyalty. The narrative continues with a hot apple dessert, inspired by a grandmother’s kitchen in a Macau migrant family, and a young Italian woman gracefully managing a Chinese milk tea shop in the Netherlands, highlighting the vibrant interplay of culinary heritage and innovation.
- “The Sweet Healing” – Under extreme circumstances and duress, humans seek out sweetness. This episode looks at China’s port town of Guangdong where hard-working fishermen take comfort in Sweet Soup and cookies during Chinese New Year, and West Africa where the Ivory Coast and Ghana – both major cocoa producers – play a crucial role in the global chocolate industry. It also visits Maharashtra, India where the Vasundhara Sugar Academy empowers women with sugarcane cultivation skills, showcasing how sweetness serves as a universal solace and symbol of resilience across diverse cultures.