Shane Delia's Spice Journey

Ever wondered how chefs invent new dishes? Enter the mind of a master chef, as Shane Delia begins a brand new spice journey in the ancient Moroccan city of Fes. Throughout this series, Shane will seek out new ideas to try in his test kitchen, before serving up these creations to paying customers at his Melbourne restaurant, Maha.

For centuries, roaming caravans have crossed the Saharan desert en route to Morocco, bringing with them exotic spices and trade goods that have infused the cuisine of Northern Africa. Shane Delia spends an evening under the stars at a desert camp, immersing himself in the tastes and techniques of Amazigh cookery.

The peaks and valleys of the High Atlas Mountains are rich pickings for Shane Delia as he continues his spice journey through Morocco. In a mountain village, Shane is taught the traditional methods of preparing and cooking couscous. It turns out to be a laborious, but rewarding process. The question is, how will Shane adopt these ancient techniques in his modern test kitchen?

Shane Delia has arrived in Marrakech on a mission to uncover the tastes and cooking techniques of this dusty and exotic city. Exploring a rabbit warren of alleys, he makes discoveries in the bustling souk. Using this newfound knowledge, Shane goes to work in his Melbourne test kitchen, creating new dishes to serve to his restaurant customers.

Morocco's windswept Atlantic Coast is home to the world's largest sardine fishery and Shane Delia is keen to sample some of the local fish kefta, along with Morocco's marinade mainstay chermoula. Interestingly, it's the region's sought after argan oil that really allows Shane to unleash his creativity in his test kitchen.

The Arabs invaded what is now Spain and Portugal in thousands of years ago, morphing the somewhat dysfunctional Christian society into an Arabic-speaking, majority-Muslim state within the span of three generations. Shane Delia arrives in Andalucía and uncovers a cuisine whose roots are firmly grounded in Islamic cookery.