Once upon a time, when Oscar Wilde cooked, little did he know that the periphrastic food he used as a substitute for tension, sensuality, and social transgressions in his plays would be trending once again. With love stories freshly baked in the palace kitchens across centuries, this year particularly served some of the biggest and most delectable rom-coms in the realm of Asian dramas. Slow-burning food fantasy took center stage, becoming the perfect recipe for binge-worthy indulgence; the most popular culprit among them being the sinfully addictive Bon Appétit, Your Majesty on Netflix. But the cravings only grow louder.

As culinary storytelling enjoys a renaissance with royal feasts from time-traveling chefs, here are some dramas that carry on its flavor. Grab a snack before reading on.

A bratty young prince tamed by a culinary genius palace chef's creative food, can it get any better? Yes, and in delectable ways. This C-drama dispenses sweet chemistry and mouth-watering close-ups of food straight out of an imaginary imperial Michelin kitchen. The camera swoons over glistening sauces and tender meat, vegan show-stoppers and unique desserts with sinful close-up shots of flavors glazed in visual MSG. 

With its rich set designs and poignant tale of passion against hierarchy, Delicacies Destiny is as addictive as the title and a banger OST. He Ruixian takes charge of the kitchen as Chef Ling Xiao Xiao, while Wang Xingyue delivers an epic performance as Prince Zhu Shou Kui, as multi-dimensional as the food in this show streaming on Disney+, Hulu, and Crunchyroll in the US. Delicacies Destiny is not just a culinary romance, but a promise to make every viewer hungry.

Whether Hungry for Food or Love, Here Are 5 Reasons You Must Watch This Nordic Romcom, ‘Toscana’ on Netflix

Closer to home lies yet another Netflix K-drama which is a perfect side dish to Bon Appétit, Your Majesty once the curtain calls on its special episode.

Half nostalgia-filled rom-com, half cooking therapy session, Netflix's Tastefully Yours launches gentle humor and warm recipes that are close to the heart. As the persistent subplot featuring the uninvited ex-boyfriend rattles the boat pretty early on, the series' witty banter, modernized traditional eatery, cozy countryside setting, and food as nurture metaphors ensure its enjoyable binge. 

Go Min-si channeled her Jinny’s Kitchen expertise, drafting the finest performance as a stubborn chef in the series, along with Kang Ha-neul's arrogant heir. Expect slapstick comedy, tears, betrayal, deception, reconciliation, and most importantly, food. Tastefully Yours is the type of series to stop binge-watching mid-way to text a friend about.

Picture an entire family inadvertently time-traveling back a few thousand years and running a successful diner there. That crazy idea is what Yummy, Yummy, Yummy makes real in this utterly heartwarming and side-splitting journey into tradition, innovation, and love. Juxian Alley's bold and hearty delicacies get futurized by the Shen family's diner in a refreshing take. It is available to stream on WeTV and Crunchyroll.

Bombarding the screen with food art and a fusion of Western methods with traditional Eastern cuisine, much like Bon Appétit, Your Majesty, this C-drama is as addictive as its delectable flavor palette. Here, the dishes are fearless, the imagery cinematic, but there is more. While the drama is a feast for the eyes, it is also a tale of unexpectedly falling in love with one's ancestor, making it a scrumptious affair.

In this hilarious Joseon dynasty time-slip K-drama, Jang Bong-hwan, a modern-day chef, wakes up to a real nightmare, in the body of Queen Kim So-yong (played by Shin Hye-sun), becoming somewhat an ancestor to Bon Appétit, Your Majesty. Making ramyeon from scratch to expressing socio-political transgressions, this drama serves piping hot palace politics, quick wit, cooking skills, jaw-torturing comedy, and unexpected romance.

Mr. Queen to date remains one of Korea's highest-rated television programs in history, offering a secret recipe to sizzling romance, breathtaking laughter, and out-of-place awkwardness, all set against the odds of society. Though food is not a protagonist here, it forms the primary backdrop for this character-driven story available on Netflix.

7 True Crime Documentaries to Watch After ‘Monster: Ed Gein’ – Must-See Chilling Stories

Netflix seems to take food and society very seriously, as its latest drop speaks volumes on mental health and culinary indulgence.

A flood of chocolate, Han Hyo-joo speaking Japanese, a mental-health focused storytelling, enough said. This sweet cross-cultural romance melts like ganache, bittersweet and decadent. In a tiny chocolate atelier, it is about overcoming nervousness, being vulnerable, and finding love in the language of sweets. 

Netflix's latest Japanese romance drama, Romantics Anonymous, is intimate and quietly enchanting. A woman scared of eye contact and a man afraid of physical contact just find comfort in chocolate. It is just right for fans who want something more down-to-earth yet totally heartwarming.

Love Destiny 2 exports Thailand's greatest desserts internationally through this historical romance sequel drama starring Thanavat Vatthanaputi and Ranee Campen. While food is not the central plot, it does have symbolic and aesthetic functions. For instance, it highlights Thai sweets with historic significance in Ayutthaya-era contexts. The first season of the show also promotes traditional Thai desserts like Thong Yip, Foi Thong, Thong Yot, Khanom Phing, and more, as Thai dramas prepare to take over the world.

Food is employed for more than mere decoration in the scenes, for instance, in Love Destiny (2018), a reference to grilled river prawns with hot seafood sauce in one episode shows the time-traveling character introducing new-to-those-era dishes, much like Im Yoon-ah's Chef Yeon Ji-yeong introducing gochujang to the palace in Bon Appétit, Your Majesty. In this Thai series, the modern character introduces or reintroduces flavors, methods, or dishes to historical contexts, highlighting culture, identity, and transformation with a winning combination of comedy, time-slip, soul-swapping, love, and fantasy.

In Pasta, food is central to almost everything. It is a setting of an Italian-themed restaurant, where the main character Seo Yoo-kyung works from kitchen aide to chef. It blends equal portions of culinary skills and typical drama to create an unforgettable cocktail of a K-drama classic, available to stream on Netflix, alongside several must-watch food documentaries to pair this with.

Food-fantasy dramas lock in love and flavor, always finding a way to mix modernity, traditions, and society. These dramas allow avid bingers to immerse themselves in parts of cultures that are intrinsic to life in every part of the world, as food is one of the greatest driving forces of existence. Whether it is about royal kitchens or modern cafes, this year is serving romance on a silver platter with culinary gems stealing the show. 

Marvel Is Keeping One of Their Most Interesting Team in Years Out of 'Avengers: Secret Wars', All for a Very Small Reason

Which is your favorite food-fantasy drama of all time? Comment below.