Gordon Ramsay faces backlash for butchering traditional Portuguese pork sandwich
TV chef faces sharp criticism for putting cheese in the bifana sandwich
TV chef Gordon Ramsay has caused uproar in Portugal after he made his own unconventional version of the country’s national dish – the bifana pork sandwich.
In a YouTube video, made as part of his TV show Unchartered, the 54-year-old shocked Portuguese viewers when he added cheese and other ingredients to the snack before declaring it a “beautiful, traditional bifana”.
Portuguese MP Duarte Marques was so offended by Ramsay’s take on the bifana that he took to Twitter to criticise the chef.
He wrote: “It looks pretty good but it’s not a bifana. Go to Vendas Novas and taste a real one.”
The town of Vendas Novas, near Lisbon, is known as the birthplace of bifana, with traditional recipes including just pork marinated in wine, oil, garlic and spices.
The mix is then grilled in warm bread before being garnished with mustard.
Social media users also expressed their outrage at Ramsay’s take on their national dish, with one commenting: “That’s a Philly cheesesteak sandwich, definitely not a bifana.”
People complained about Ramsay’s inclusion of ingredients such as cured ham, salad, grilled peppers, chilli, onion and sheep’s cheese
Others complained about the chef’s inclusion of cured ham, salad, grilled peppers, chilli, onion and sheep’s cheese.
Portuguese comedian Rui Sinel de Cordes posted a video on Twitter of Ramsay humiliating a contestant on his own Kitchen Nightmares TV show. In the clip the chef presses two slices of bread against the woman’s ears and makes her describe herself as an “idiot sandwich” after she made a mistake.
Ramsay’s version of bifana and the ensuing backlash is reminiscent of what became known as “paellagate”, when Jamie Oliver caused uproar in Spain in 2016 by adding chorizo to the classic rice dish, which is made with different ingredients by countries along the Mediterranean coast, but never includes the spicy sausage.
Such was the uproar that the British ambassador to Spain at the time had to step in.
Defending Ramsay’s controversial bifana, Rui Paula, a Portuguese chef with two Michelin stars, told The Telegraph that while it wasn’t conventional, the British chef shouldn’t be criticised for putting his own spin on a classic recipe.
He added: “Indeed, it’s not a traditional bifana, although in my humble opinion I believe that every dish, no matter where it comes from, can be interpreted by anyone, chef or not.
“And we have to be proud that such a chef as Gordon Ramsay talks about our food and wants to do it at his own way. He is a professional, with years of experience, and proven work. To me, this becoming a subject for critics, is astonishing.”
