6 Minute English / Learning a new food culture

Note: This is not a word-for-word transcript.

Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Neil.

And I'm Beth.

Every country has its own favourite foods. So, when people leave home and move to a different country, getting used to the new food there can be a surprise.

Food can have strange-sounding names. If you know what a toad is, it's an animal, very similar to a frog, you might be surprised to hear that a famous English meal is 'toad-in-the-hole'. Don't worry though, it's made with sausages, not toads!

In this programme, we're exploring people's first impressions of a new culture through its food. We'll be hearing how two women, one a refugee, the other a dietitian, adapted to the food of their new home. And, as usual, we'll be learning some useful new vocabulary too.

But first, I have a question for you, Neil. A British summer wouldn't be complete without a traditional 'cream tea' scones, cream, and jam, eaten with a cup of tea. It sounds lovely, but strangely there have been many arguments over cream teas. So, is the cream tea debate about:

a) whether to drink tea or coffee?b) whether to put cream or jam onto the scone first? or,c) whether strawberry or raspberry jam is better?

Well, I think the controversy is whether to add cream or jam first.

OK, Neil. I'll reveal the correct answer later in the programme. Natalia Tkachenko arrived in the Netherlands after leaving her home in Ukraine, following the Russian invasion. She moved in with Weronika Groszewska, who's originally from Poland, and her family, starting them on a journey to open their own restaurant, Natalia's Kitchen. Here's Natalia talking with BBC World Service programme, 'The Food Chain':