Answer:
After 20 years immersing herself in food culture, Padma Lakshmi still had a burning question without a clear answer: what even is “American food,” anyway? “We throw around a lot of platitudes like, ‘nothing’s as American as apple pie.’ Well, apple pie is not American,” laughs Lakshmi. “Not one ingredient in apple pie is indigenous to North America. Not even the apple! So what are we talking about here?”
