The Culinary Institute of America

Surrounded as it is by three seas—the Tyhrrenian, the Mediterranean, and the Ionian, it’s no wonder that seafood plays a prominent role on the Sicilian table. The variety is simply astounding—anchovies and sardines, squid, calamari and octopus, a huge variety of mussels and clams, tiny sweet shrimp and big, meaty red shrimp, mackerel, prized red mullet, familiar fish like grouper and unfamiliar varieties like scabard fish, a great favorite, or... Eels, a great flavor boost for a zuppa di pesce or Sicilian fish stew.

Watch the full series and find recipes at http://www.ciaprochef.com/WCA/Sicily/

Different climates, different terrains, mean that even a product as simple as cheese is produced in dozens of different varieties from mountains and valleys, from the sea coast and from inland plateaus, all over Sicily. Francesco Guccione, who, with his partner Boni, has a tidy shop called La Dispensa de Monzu in Palermo, is an expert on all these varieties, many of which are sold in the shop—the name of which you could translate as “The Butler’s Pantry.” We asked him to sort through the panoply of Sicilian cheeses and tell us something about the best.

Watch the full series and find recipes at http://www.ciaprochef.com/WCA/Sicily/

At the opposite end of the island, on the very slopes of the Etna volcano, the Benanti family is also proving that old vines and new ideas go hand in hand to produce superior wines—so superior that in 2007 Benanti was named winery of the year by the prestigious Italian magazine Gambero Rosso.

Watch the full series and find recipes at http://www.ciaprochef.com/WCA/Sicily/

Nearby, in Trapani, we discovered something the Arabs brought to Sicily—or so they say—when they occupied the island more than a thousand years ago. This is couscous. Pino Maggiore, chef and owner of the trattoria Cantina Siciliana in the heart of Trapani's old ghetto, showed Steve Jilleba, executive chef at Unilever Foodsolutions, how it's done and Mary Taylor Simeti, an American writer who has lived in Sicily and written about its food traditions for a good 40 years, helped us to understand it.

Watch the full series and find recipes at http://www.ciaprochef.com/WCA/Sicily/

Travel with Mai Pham, (pronounced "My fahm") a chef, cookbook author and Vietnamese food authority, through the street-food stalls of Hanoi and the floating markets of the Mekong.

Watch the full series and find recipes at http://www.ciaprochef.com/wca/vietnam/

Our culinary adventure in Vietnam ends in Ho Chi Minh City, still informally known as Saigon. Ingredients and cooks from all over the country converge on this hustling city, the country’s largest, and despite Saigon’s wealth of sophisticated restaurants, there may be no more enjoyable place to eat in town than at the Ben Thanh Market. At its no-fuss food counters, diners can feast on steamed rice rolls or bun cha, (Boon Cha) grilled pork with rice noodles.

Watch the full series and find recipes at http://www.ciaprochef.com/wca/vietnam/

Fusion food is nothing new. On the streets of Vietnam, sidewalk vendors sell a popular sandwich that reflects the country’s history in every bite. Banh mi, (Bahn Mee) Vietnam’s version of a baguette sandwich, shows the obvious influence of both China and France, countries that had a long presence here. Stop at a street cart some afternoon and treat yourself to a traditional banh mi. Made on an airy baguette spread with mayonnaise—that’s the French legacy—the banh mi includes a variety of Vietnamese charcuterie, depending on the maker and the customer. Chinese-style roast pork is customary, but a French-style pâté scented with star anise may be an option, too. Secret sauces are often part of the ritual, with the Vietnamese contribution last: crunchy onions, sliced chilies, fresh herbs and pickled vegetables. Without them, it’s not banh mi.

Watch the full series and find recipes at http://www.ciaprochef.com/wca/vietnam/

The slender, serpentine profile of Vietnam extends nearly 1,000 miles from north to south, but measures just thirty miles across at its narrowest. Bordered by China to the north, and Laos and Cambodia to the west, this lengthy country can boast an astonishing range of landscapes and climates. In the chilly north, near the China border, tribal people inhabit spectacular mountains known as the Tonkinese Alps (TAWN-Kin-Ease). In the cool central highlands, coffee plantations thrive, while in the tropical south, banana trees lurk in the lush jungle valleys and miles of pristine beaches draw vacationers to the coast.

Watch the full series and find recipes at http://www.ciaprochef.com/wca/vietnam/

It is hardly an exaggeration to say that Vietnam runs on rice. The humble grain is the country’s most important crop, and the major source of calories in the diet. Vietnam is the world’s second-largest rice exporter, after Thailand, a huge achievement for such a small country. Vast rice paddies blanket the nation, from the terraced highlands of the north to the fertile river valleys of the Mekong Delta. Rural people still work these verdant fields by hand, sowing, weeding and harvesting the grain according to nature’s schedule, in a cycle that defines their way of life.

Watch the full series and find recipes at http://www.ciaprochef.com/wca/vietnam/