Survivorman Les Stroud Reveals The Best Meal He's Made In The Wild - Exclusive
When you watch an episode of "Survivorman," you are seeing a show that not only stars Les Stroud, but that was also planned, produced, filmed, and largely edited by him, too. When he is out there on a survival ordeal, Stroud is on his own — without support, supplies, and yes, food.
So imagine how Les Stroud felt after multiple days without more than a mouthful or two of wild foraged food as he spent a week in the Arctic tundra. In a word ... hungry. But it was worth it because it would lead to the best "Survivorman" meal that Stroud ever ate. During an exclusive interview with Mashed, when asked about the greatest food he's ever had in the wilderness, Stroud was quick to answer.
"Oh, that's easy. Arctic char. I was up in the high Arctic, and I was down without food for about four or five days." Stroud had set up a "Survivorman" scenario where he was a stranded fisherman, so he was fortunate enough to have brought gear with him. "Doesn't mean the fish are there, or that they're biting," Stroud explained. "And for five days, they didn't. So that's five days without food, just water, little nibbles here and there, not much of anything. And then on the fifth day, a school of Arctic char came through, and I caught four in a row ... And I sun-dried them. And that was the most amazing survival meal I've ever had, bar none."
The best foods Les Stroud has found foraging
"Survivorman" is all about Les Stroud being out on his own, quite literally surviving off the land (and thanks to his considerable skills, it's one of those "don't try this at home, kids" type of scenarios). His other program, "Wild Harvest," which Stroud created with celebrated chef Paul Rogalski, is more about thriving than surviving (via Wild Harvest Films). While Arctic char may not be on the menu, foraged and wild-caught culinary delights are.
On "Wild Harvest," Stroud and Rogalski head out into the wilderness — albeit well fed and with a support crew — to collect foods that anyone can find out there. Then, using Rogalski's culinary chops, they turn those foods into dishes fit to be served at Michelin-starred restaurants. The finds in the wilderness of North America have been bountiful, according to Les Stroud: "We gather so much. So I have to say I'm quite happy that we've done, for example, mussels in the show on the West coast. Gathering mussels was a real nice treat. And recently, we did gooseneck barnacles. That was a new one for me to learn." In terms of plants, for Stroud, "Creeping Snowberry is wonderful. And fireweed and horsetail, too."
To learn even more about the fascinating Les Stroud, pick up a copy of his new book "Wild Outside: Around the World With Survivorman." New episodes of "Wild Harvest" will be available on your local PBS station.