Did you know how well they eat in Bulgaria?

Turks, Greeks, Mediterranean culture, Slavic culture,

and all of these different cultures

they reflect in our cuisine.

Coming up we get a taste of the hearty culinary traditions of Bulgaria,

and of the Gascony region in southwestern France,

where duck is the protein of choice.

They roast them whole, they will confi them, which means to poach them gently in their own fat and preserve them.

They will flambay them in armiac.

I could go on and on.

Plus tour guides from Italy, explain why they like to use so much olive oil when they cook.

Olive oil is basically the foundation of what is called the Mediterranean diet.

It doesn't build up in the system like so many trans fats.

It's an antioxidant so it predicts your cells from deteriorating so you stay young forever.

There's a place at the table for you in the hour ahead. It's

travel with Rick Steve's.

Homer and Plato are said to have called it liquid gold.

Coming up, we'll hear why olive oil is such an important part of the daily diet in Italy and the Mediterranean.

But there's a corner of France where they prefer cooking with duck fat.

We'll hear what an American food writer learned about the traditions of Gascony,

where food that tastes good turns out to be good for you too.

Let's start today's culinary edition of Travel with

...