UK transplant Jamie Oliver once hosted the fully clothed culinary show, The Naked Chef, in the early days of the Food Network. His relaxed and laid-back approach to food made him a household name after the show first aired in 1999. The popularity eventually led to his own line of cooking products including a poorly named rice. Oliver released a product called “punchy jerk rice,” apparently flavored and inspired by traditional Jamaican cooking. You might be asking, what’s jerk rice? Well, that Food Network scandal is what made people pretty upset with him because jerk rice isn’t a thing.
A jerk is a spice rub made of allspice and scotch bonnet peppers. Traditionally, the rub is used for chicken or pork that is then barbecued. Jamaican-born Levi Roots, a chef who actually taught Oliver how to cook jerk style, called him out for the appropriation from Jamaica that “needs to stop.”
Aside from the recipe itself, the real outrage about the rice centers around the tendency to borrow from other ethnic groups without regard for knowledge of the culture and the careful handling of those traditions. In other words, as a culinary figure, Oliver should’ve known better. He attempted to brush off the criticism, saying he only meant to nod to the flavor’s inspiration. Oliver might think twice, however, before borrowing cultural traditions for his next sales pitch.