Gordon Ramsay isn’t exactly known for his love of vegan cooking, having repeatedly drawn the ire of animal rights activists.
The foul-mouthed chef has previously taken the mick out of PETA (‘I’m a member of PETA! People eating tasty animals’) and once claimed he would electrocute his own children if they became vegetarians.
Now Ramsay, 52, has taken his love of eating ‘tasty animals’ to the next level, with a new TV show which sees him chowing down on critters such as goats, worms and guinea pigs.
Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted follows Ramsay as he dines on native cuisine across the world, travelling to remote locations in search of ‘culinary inspiration, epic adventures, and cultural experiences he will never forget’.
In a recent episode, Ramsay headed over to New Zealand’s South Island to try out traditional Maori delicacies with chef Monique Fiso. During his time there, Ramsay hunted and shot a goat up in the hills, appearing exhilarated by the activity.
Speaking on the show, Ramsay said:
My heart’s beating like Big Ben. Your adrenaline is pumping. This is not wrapped up in cling film on a supermarket shelf. This is proper outdoor hunting.
Gordon later cooked the goat in bay leaves, before roasting in a dug out pit in the ground for two and a half hours. He then served the meat to appreciative dinner guests with seaweed potatoes, wild salad and fuchsia berry chutney.
In another episode, Ramsay travelled to Peru where he dined on roasted guinea pigs (known as ‘cuy’) a dish he described as ‘pretty good’, with a taste reminiscent of a ‘suckling pig’.
After devouring his meal, Ramsay promised viewers:
You do not know what you’re missing. I am telling you now, delicious.
However, he noted he would never get away with dishing up guinea pigs in his US restaurants, admitting he would be ‘taken down’.
As reported by Conde Nast Traveller, cuy has been a staple dish on Peru’s Andean menu for approximately 5,000 years. The guinea pigs are often cooked whole, with their head, teeth, ears left intact.
Many have praised Ramsay’s adventurous nature and have enjoyed learning about various cultures around the world.
However, others have been unable to come to terms with the idea of a guinea pig – a cherished UK pet – being served up on a platter, and have offered up a collective shudder on social media.
One person whimpered:
*covering my piggies’ eyes and whispering sweet nothings into their ears*
Another shivered:
Just look at that poor guinea pig’s eye. How can one consume such a cute creature.
The NZ Herald and other news outlets report among the outrage directed at the Scottish chef someone replied to National Geographic’s tweet, saying ‘Just another thoughtless and cruel person, profiting from the fear, misery, suffering and murder of innocent animals.’ However that tweet appears to now be deleted.
Although:
You can catch Uncharted on Sundays on the National Geographic channel.
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Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.