The Star Ingredient – Details, episodes & analysis

In his compact Parisian restaurant, Chef Laurent Veyet adds the finishing touches to one of his signature dishes. He has prepared a shortbread sablé upon which sits some apple-flavoured hummus, carrots roasted in honey and tomatoes baked with thyme. 

To this, Chef Laurent adds the pièce de résistance: A few dehydrated mealworms and some whole crickets for crunch and flavour that will also marry well with the ground crickets and cheese that form the sablé base. 

For classically trained chef Laurent, cooking more respectfully and more intelligently refers to the challenge of feeding a projected global population of 9 billion people by 2050, without harming the environment. And to Laurent, insects are the food of the future.

In this final episode of The Star Ingredient, we’re getting to grips with all things edible insects: How do you cook with them? What are the environmental benefits? And will Europeans ever make the leap and accept them on their dinner plates?

Hosted by Tokunbo Salako. 

Written and produced by Aisling Ní Chúláin, Alice Carnevali Marta Rodríguez Martínez and Naira Davlashyan. 

With original reporting by Alice Carnevali and Aisling Ní Chúláin.

The theme music is by Andy Robini. 

Consultant editor: Catalina May. 

Solutions journalism consultant: Michèle Foin. 

Production coordinator: Louise Lehec. Editor-in-chief: Patrick Heery. 

For more information on The Star Ingredient, go to our website.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Teff is the star ingredient of Ethiopian cuisine and it’s essential for the  delicious chechebsca, a traditional breakfast dish in the country. This small grain can withstand harsh climate conditions and is mostly produced in the Horn of Africa. However, political and economic instability in Ethiopia has limited the country’s ability to benefit from its production. Aggravating the situation is the issue of biopiracy, a topic we delve into in this episode.

In Ethiopia, we meet Yonas Alemu to  discover his business Love Grass. Put on your headphones to discover how the company wants to modernize teff production and restore the grain to its origins. 

Hosted by Tokunbo Salako. 

Written and produced by Naira Davlashyan, Aisling Ní Chúláin and Marta Rodriguez Martinez, in Lyon, France. 

Our assistant producer is Alice Carnevali. 

Original reporting by Suad Ahmed in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Consulting editor: Catalina May

Solutions journalism consultant: Michèle Foin. 

The theme music is by Andy Robini. 

Sound design is by Naira Davlashyan, sound mixing is by Hugo Pouillard.

Production coordinator:Louise Lehec 

Editor-in-chief : Patrick Heery. 

For more information on The Star Ingredient, go to our website.

Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.  

Are you a French speaker? You can find a version of this podcast in French with the name La Surprise du Chef.

The podcast, The Star Ingredient, was funded by the European Journalism Centre, through the Solutions Journalism Accelerator. This fund is supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bambara Groundnut is something of a superstar amongst relegated African crops. Known as a ‘complete food’, it’s versatile, hardy in marginal soils and highly resistant to adverse climate conditions. 

In this episode, we’re travelling to Nigeria to meet two women determined to put this overlooked bean on top of the menu, at home in Nigeria and around the world.

Hosted by Tokunbo Salako. 

Written and produced by Aisling Ní Chúláin, Marta Rodríguez Martínez and Naira Davlashyan. 

With original reporting by Samuel Okocha.

The theme music is by Andy Robini. 

Consulting editor: Catalina May. Solution journalism consultant: Michèle Foin.

Production coordinator: Louise Lehec. Editor-in-chief: Patrick Heery. 

Thanks to WoodScope Limited in Lagos for giving us a place to cook.

and to the Culinary Arts Practitioners Association of Nigeria, who support and promote the work of Nigerian Chefs.

For more information on The Star Ingredient, go to our website.

Are you a French speaker? You can find a version of this podcast in French with the name La Surprise du Chef.

The podcast, The Star Ingredient, was funded by the European Journalism Centre, through the Solutions Journalism Accelerator. This fund is supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fonio is Africa's oldest cultivated grain. It matures quickly in one of the poorest and driest soils on the planet. It is also gluten-free and extremely nutritious. So why doesn't it ring a bell, why has it fallen into oblivion?

In this episode, award-winning Senegalese chef Pierre Thiam shares two of his favourite fonio recipes with us and tells us why he has made it his life's mission to make the world fall in love with this “miracle grain".

Hosted by Tokunbo Salako. 

Written and produced by Marta Rodríguez Martínez, Naira Davlashyan and Aisling Ní Chúláin. 

With original reporting by Selly Thiam.

The theme music is by Andy Robini. 

Consulting editor: Catalina May. Solution journalism consultant: Michèle Foin.

Production coordinator: Louise Lehec. Editor-in-chief: Patrick Heery. 

For more information on The Star Ingredient, go to our website.

Are you a French speaker? You can find a version of this podcast in French with the name La Surprise du Chef.

The podcast, The Star Ingredient, was funded by the European Journalism Centre, through the Solutions Journalism Accelerator. This fund is supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our new documentary podcast series will take you on a culinary journey across Africa where we’ll meet communities and local chefs on a mission to revive the continent’s indigenous crops - all while sharing delicious new recipes and flavours.

Subscribe to The Star Ingredient on your favourite podcast app or find it on euronews.com or africanews.com from October 28.

Ce podcast en français: La surprise du chef.

This project was funded by the European Journalism Centre, through the Solutions Journalism Accelerator. This fund is supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cowpea or niébé is an essential ingredient in Senegalese street food. Branded as ‘food for the poor’ by the colonists, the cowpea has long been neglected by African countries. But chef Fati Niang is determined to give niébé a comeback as a popular legume used to flavour fancy finger food recipes like accras. 

Hosted by Tokunbo Salako. 

Written and produced by Naira Davlashyan, Marta Rodríguez Martínez, Aisling Ní Chúláin, and Alice Carnevali

With original reporting by Marta Moreiras. 

The theme music is by Andy Robini. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In modern cities, we rarely know the full story of our food: where it comes from, how it is produced, and how it can affect our environment. In this episode of The Star Ingredient, we travelled to London to meet two women, Carolyn Steel and Chloё Dunnett, who are working to enhance food security by bringing food production to the core of our urban centres. Carolyn is an architect who came up with the concept of Sitopia, a perfect place built around food, and Chloё is a farmer who is creating it. 

Hosted by Tokunbo Salako. 

Written and produced by Naira Davlashyan, Marta Rodríguez Martínez, and Aisling Ní Chúláin. 

Assistant producer: Alice Carnevali

With original reporting by Naira Davlashyan. 

The theme music is by Andy Robini. 

Sound design by Naira Davlashyan.

The sound mixing is by Matthieu Ducheine.

Consultant editor: Catalina May. 

Solutions journalism consultant: Michèle Foin. 

Production coordinator: Louise Lehec. Editor-in-chief: Patrick Heery. 

For more information on The Star Ingredient, go to our website.

Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.  

Are you a French speaker? You can find a version of this podcast in French with the name La Surprise du Chef.

The podcast, The Star Ingredient, was funded by the European Journalism Centre, through the Solutions Journalism Accelerator. This fund is supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The first thing that hits you is the smell. The pea-sized néré pods from the néré tree or African Locust Bean as it’s known in English, may be small but they pack a powerful punch. 

And once transformed into mouth watering soumbala, they’re a crucial addition to a host of traditional meals eaten all across West Africa.

We’ll be hearing all about soumbala and more in this episode of the Star Ingredient, where we’re travelling to Burkina Faso to meet a devoted champion of Burkinabé traditional cuisine, Franceline Tranagda. 

Hosted by Tokunbo Salako. 

Written and produced by Marta Rodríguez Martínez, Naira Davlashyan and Aisling Ní Chúláin. 

With original reporting by Sasha Gankin and Aisling Ní Chúláin.

The theme music is by Andy Robini. 

Consultant editor: Catalina May. 

Solutions journalism consultant: Michèle Foin. 

Production coordinator: Louise Lehec. Editor-in-chief: Patrick Heery. 

For more information on The Star Ingredient, go to our website.

Are you a French speaker? You can find a version of this podcast in French with the name La Surprise du Chef.

The podcast, The Star Ingredient, was funded by the European Journalism Centre, through the Solutions Journalism Accelerator. This fund is supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Seen as food for the poor, traditional Basotho dishes aren't as popular in Lesotho as their Italian or American counterparts. As a result, the country's own food culture is fast disappearing. 

In this episode, we meet chef Ska Moteane, the first chef to have published a cookbook dedicated to Basotho cuisine and who is committed to bringing traditional flavours back to the table. 

Hosted by Tokunbo Salako. 

Written and produced by Marta Rodríguez Martínez, Naira Davlashyan and Aisling Ní Chúláin. 

With original reporting by Pascalinah Kabi and Naira Davlashyan.

The theme music is by Andy Robini. 

Consultant editor: Catalina May. 

Solutions journalism consultant: Michèle Foin. 

Production coordinator: Louise Lehec. Editor-in-chief: Patrick Heery. 

For more information on The Star Ingredient, go to our website.

Are you a French speaker? You can find a version of this podcast in French with the name La Surprise du Chef.

The podcast, The Star Ingredient, was funded by the European Journalism Centre, through the Solutions Journalism Accelerator. This fund is supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“In the last 25 years, food has become a commodity. food is produced all across the world and the value of food is not related to the way of production, but to different factors that are external to the food production.” 

It seems a logical premise: Produce enough food for the global population and no nation should fall victim to a succession of food crises. But in a world where globalisation and the financialisation of our food system can determine where our food comes from and how much we pay for it, it’s the poorest countries that end up counting the cost. 

Award winning filmmaker and journalist, Stefano Liberti has spent much of his career grappling with these challenges and is our guest for this special episode of The Star Ingredient.

Hosted by Tokunbo Salako. 

Written and produced by Aisling Ní Chúláin, Marta Rodríguez Martínez and Naira Davlashyan. 

The theme music is by Andy Robini. 

Consulting editor: Catalina May. Solution journalism consultant: Michèle Foin.

Production coordinator: Louise Lehec. Editor-in-chief: Patrick Heery. 

Special thanks to the Slow Food movement and Terra Madre festival for its contribution to this episode.

For more information on The Star Ingredient, go to our website.

Are you a French speaker? You can find a version of this podcast in French with the name La Surprise du Chef.

The podcast, The Star Ingredient, was funded by the European Journalism Centre, through the Solutions Journalism Accelerator. This fund is supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.