Andrew Zimmern eats bizarre foods in Belize
There are healthy foods, junk foods, cultural foods… and there are Bizarre Foods. That’s what the host of the renowned Travel Channel show, Andrew Zimmern, covers around the globe. The show takes Zimmern, a chef, food writer and teacher, all over, tasting the strangest cuisines. He recently finished taping the final season of Bizarre Foods and the Jewel is the first stop in his next venture, Bizarre World. Zimmern has just concluded a whirlwind visit to the Jewel where he sampled and tasted our unique local cuisine. Bizarre World will feature different aspects of the countries he visits and Zimmern’s piece on Belize will showcase art, Mayan sites, caves, cayes and of course, food. New Five caught up with him on Holy Thursday before he left for La Isla Bonita, San Pedro, and found out what he was up to since he touched down in the country last Monday.
Andrew Zimmern, Host, Bizarre Foods
“We spent the last couple days up in San Ignacio and we went to the Poustinia Art Park that’s up there and did a story about Belizean art, which I think is really cool to take people up in an environment like that and show them the unexpected. Everyone thinks of Belize, they think of the beautiful weather, they think of the turquoise water and the reef and Ambergris Caye and the Blue Hole. And then yesterday we spent all day and all night traveling to ATM to go see the cave of the Crystal Maiden and we did that with Dr. Jaime Awe. He was one of the people who helped make that site and cave system famous. Along the way we ate some pretty strange things; Jack-ass bitters in the jungle which you shouldn’t eat without an awful lot of liquid on hand to wash it down. But very good for your stomach once it’s in there, bukut, the stinky toe fruit… fantastic stuff. Tastes like anchovies and fish sauce mixed with molasses, interesting. It was kinda delicious; very nice to stand on top of someone’s car and yank down some big ripe pods of stinky toe fruit. Then we spent the rest of the day and evening journeying into the caves, recording what we found and showing people what I think is one of the—the inside scoop of one of the main mysteries in life, which is the Mayan culture and their world here in ancient Belize. So great trip so far, now we’re on the way to San Pedro.”
Zimmern says there are only two parts of the world he has yet to visit and hopefully he will accomplish this in his new show. Bizarre World plans to venture into Cuba, which according to Zimmern, no other show has been able to do. Belize will be the first episode of Bizarre World, which premiers on September eighth. Zimmern left the country on Monday.
