The Traditional Brazilian Food Jamie Oliver Couldn't Stand
Celebrity chefs come in many shapes, sizes, and temperaments: From fatherly Pierre Franey to fiesty Anne Burrell and explosive Gordon Ramsay, it takes all kinds. Consider Jamie Oliver, an easy-going everyday bloke. Sometimes he's so comfortable, it may seem like he doesn't think much before he says or does something. The plus side is that anyone who's tuning in knows what he thinks — we don't have to wait long to get his opinions on whatever he's eating that day.
The celebrity chef exhibits enthusiasm and confidence when it comes to cooking international cuisine, but his recipes haven't always been so well received in their homelands, like Oliver's fried rice fiasco, the controversy over Oliver's paella, and the jolloff recipe West Africans didn't approve of (via BBC). But one of his greatest surprise acts of alienation came during a visit to Brazil in 2014, when Oliver appeared unedited on television and managed to offend a colossal number of Brazilians with his off-the-cuff comments regarding the nation's most treasured treats.
When Jamie's candor and national cuisines collide, it's not surprising that we end up with hurt feelings and escalating international food fights. According to The Guardian, an apparently unwitting Oliver appeared on the local Brazilian TV program "Saia Justa," providing his first impressions of the country, and sampling a few traditional Brazilian foods.
Oliver just says não to Brazilian confections
Brazilian television host Barbara Gancia chatted with Jamie Oliver about Brazilians' sweet tooth, giving him a few samples to show what she meant: sugar cane juice, brigadeiro, quindim, beijinho, and açai. Quindim is a traditional sweet custard, per Delighted Cooking.
According to The Guardian, Oliver dutifully tasted them all and offered his opinions; finishing up with a ranking and recap of his favorites and not-so-favorites. Oliver gave a thumbs up to the açai and even the sugarcane juice. He had seemed initially enthusiastic during his tasting of Brazil's beloved brigadeiro, but quickly threw it under the bus alongside its cousins quindim and beijinho, pronouncing all three "old s***" and "f***ing 'orrible" in his brief wrap up of the Brazilian trio.
His quickly disparaging attitude proved inflammatory for viewers throughout the nation and prompted some counter-offensives as well. "The English judging food — hilarious," said one bitter Brazilian (per The Guardian). But the Gancia had more mercy, noting Oliver's busy schedule and the way he'd been bombarded with a confectionary's supply of sweets first thing in the morning.