- Mm.

- I'm Beryl and this week we're looking at desserts.

Or puddings or sweets, whatever you call it.

It is non-savory food week, yay!

The world was not always addicted to sugar.

In fact, the original sweeteners were honey and dried fruit.

But then we got sugar cane.

Sugar cane is actually originally from New Guinea.

But the plant made its way to India

and there, around 100 AD,

are the first instances of sugar refinement.

The crop spread to the Middle East and China rather quickly.

But it didn't get to Europe until around the 12th century

and it really only got there because of colonization.

My dog smells the donut.

- [Man] How ya doing?

- I'm recording!

Hey!

- [Man] Give the dog donut.

- (laughs) There's a lot happening right now.

Since then, sugar has taken on many, many forms.

Ice cream.

Cake.

Perfect French, tiny, expensive cookies.

Mm.

Chocolate.

Jello.

It's good.

There is a lot out there.

There's no way that I could cover it all.

I mean, at least not in a video like I make.

I'd be out here forever.

It'd be delicious though.

But I chose desserts that I thought were interesting

and that maybe you hadn't heard of before.

'Cause we're all curious people, right?

I spoke to seven people in seven countries

to see what desserts were like around the world.

So this is the dessert episode.

In making this episode I decided two things.

One, I'm not gonna do instant desserts.

So nothing from a box.

Sorry, Betty Crocker.

And two, I wanted the desserts to have a connection

to the culture that we were in.

Sorry, one last thing before we start the video.

I know that I could only cover seven.

And I'm sure that I missed some amazing desserts out there.

So let me know in the comments where you're from

and what the best dessert from your country is,

because I am super interested

and I bet other people are too.

My future self thanks you.

Okay, let's start the video.

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- Gajar ka halwa is not difficult to make.

It's quite a basic sweet found in Indian households.

The red carrots particularly are quite sweet by themselves.

So it's a sweet dish with a nice crunch of nuts to it.

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- [Beryl] Okay, let's begin.

So first up, a dessert from Turkey

that leads with a non-traditional ingredient, chicken.

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I saw this dessert on "Great British Bake Off"

and was totally intrigued.

Did not disappoint.

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In Colombia, this dessert has a deep rooted history

with not only the city but the people who make it.

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I chose this dessert from Japan

because it is made out of something

that I would not consider a dessert, beans.

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Whenever I'm in India, this is what I ask for after dinner.

The carrots here work perfectly in the dessert.

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- Gajar ka halwa is made out of the things

that you usually find in your kitchen.

My name is Anar.

I live in Gujarat, India.

This recipe was taught to me by my mother-in-law.

Her recipe of gajar ka halwa is really loved

by all our family and friends.

Gajar is like carrots.

And halwa is like a pudding made

with wheat flour, semolina, other vegetable.

Gaja ka halwa is cooked grated carrots

in milk or cream and then sweeten it with sugar.

The red carrots particularly are quite sweet by themselves.

So the among of sugar that you put

in this dish is quite subjective.

Nuts are fried.

Nuts are added to it, raisins are added to it.

That's how a gajar ka halwa is made.

This is usually eaten

during special occasions but during winters,

people prefer to eat it daily as a dessert.

It can be even eaten with ice cream during summers.

So it is very rich in taste.

It has a good flavor of carrots and cardamom

and that gives it a very nice crunch.

So it's a very universal dish,

very appealing to the taste and simple to eat and cook.

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- [Beryl] This dessert from Lebanon actually makes

my mouth water just thinking about how good it tastes.

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And finally, we end with a cake

that's cooked over an open fire

and looks nothing like a cake.

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- Mm.

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- I think desserts are an amazing way to explore a country

because if you're not totally down

with trying the main parts of the cuisine,

maybe you're not the most adventurous eater,

desserts are a really safe place to go.

Plus, they're usually utilizing a lot

of local ingredients and flavors.

So you're still totally getting a taste

and a sense of where you are.

Which is great.

Desserts look good and they make you feel good.

And they taste really good.

So, yeah, I don't know.

This has been a great week.

I liked it.

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- Because this dessert is special,

you enjoy eating it with the family.

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