In the first episode of Shane Delia’s Spice Journey, Shane heads to his homeland, the old Phoenician outpost of Malta, where the aromatics and spices of the Middle East mingle with European traditions of the Mediterranean. From there, he follows Phoenician trade routes across the sea to Lebanon and the ancient port city of Tripoli, famous for its seafood, souks and sweets. Afterwards, he returns to his Melbourne kitchen where he puts his own twist on ancient culinary traditions.

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Shane’s mission of gastronomic discovery continues as he explores the souks of Tripoli and learns how food traditions of the ancient port city have been shaped by centuries of trade and travellers – before he heads home to create his own modern day Tripoli banquet; samke harra, moghrabieh and traditional ice-cream.

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Shane explores mountain hideouts of central Lebanon where he learns age-old methods of meat preservation from members of the ancient and mysterious sect of the Druze.

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Shane travels to the Beqaa Valley and visits the ancient temple of Bachus the god of fertility. Here, he visits Lebanon’s finest vineyards and learns the art of Arabic winemaking.

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Shane visits the twin port cities of Sidon, where the beautiful people play and pop-up restaurants cover the beach. Then he travels into the hills to visit an area devastated by bombs but which now produces some of the best goat's cheese in Lebanon.

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Having seen the traditional side of Lebanon, Shane Delia heads to Beirut, where, despite the visible scars of the recent civil war, a vibrant food scene is driving a renaissance in Arabic cuisine. He visits one of the oldest refugee camps in the world to learn a traditional Palestinian dish, explores the Armenian region of the city, and, of course, samples some of Lebanon’s finest falafel.

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Shane’s gastronomic pilgrimage takes him to Iran, home to one of the world’s most influential culinary traditions – Persian cuisine. From the Arabic and African spice coasts of the Persian Gulf, Shane travels inland to Shiraz, city of pomegranates, walled gardens and Persian haute cuisine. En route, Shane visits the ancient city of Persepolis, site of the world’s oldest surviving menu.

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Shane takes to the silk road to meet nomads that have been keeping ancient methods of baking alive. He visits the largest saffron farms in the region and crosses a desert to the hottest city in Iran to taste pashmak – the original fairy floss.

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Shane travels from Isfahan, the ancient capital of Persia, to Tehran – capital of contemporary Iran. From the ancient city of minarets, palaces and mosques to funky teahouses of the modern city, Shane discovers a very different culinary culture. His preconceptions about Iran thoroughly challenged, he returns to his kitchen to attempt the famously tricky Persian rice.

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Having travelled close to 2,000 kilometers and gained glimpses into 2,000 years of Persian culinary history, Shane arrives in Iran’s north, which borders Turkey and the Caspian Sea and where the food influences are very Ottoman. In the finale of Shane Delia’s Spice Journey, Shane visits the world’s oldest covered bazaar.

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