Gordon Ramsay is a well-versed chef with a taste for many different foods from cultures around the world. But even he has his limits. On one occasion during an episode of “Hotel Hell,” he expressed disgust after being served a dessert pizza that was topped with chocolate, strawberries, and bacon. While the sweet and salty combination of chocolate and bacon has grown in popularity in recent years, with chocolatiers like Ghirardelli and candy companies like Marini’s getting in on the trend, this odd couple isn’t for everyone, including Ramsay.
After making his way through some dry chicken and a bland noodle dish in the episode, Ramsay was offered a 10-inch dessert pizza. ”How can I resist that?” he asked. But he soon found out. After being presented with the chocolate-bacon pizza, Gordon didn’t mince words. “It’s like we’ve had a crisis with a toilet paper department. Someone’s wiped their a** with my dough,” he explained (via YouTube). “I mean, it’s just, I’ve never seen anything so f***ing unappetizing as a dessert in my life.” He then gave the dessert the benefit of the doubt by taking a bite before promptly spitting it out. Perhaps the sweet-to-meat ratio was off.
Gordon Ramsay hasn’t sworn off all sweet-and-salty combos
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Based on that “Hotel Hell” episode, it’s clear that Ramsay doesn’t think chocolate is one of the many unexpected ingredients that pair well with bacon. However, that’s not the only sweet-salty combination he actively avoids. He also doesn’t like pineapple on his pizza. “Pineapple does not go on top of pizza,” he once declared on X, sparking a wave of controversy.
As for the sweet and salty duos Ramsay does approve of, he is a fan of salted caramel. In fact, he shared a recipe for salted caramel on his YouTube channel, where he described the dish as a “delicious twist on a simple snack.” Additionally, he offered a recipe for red mullet with sweet chili sauce on Facebook, stating that mullet was an adventurous fish. He further encouraged his fans and followers to combine the “sweet and salty [flavors]” on their own.
Although Ramsay had quite the reaction to the pairing of chocolate and bacon, sweet and salty is often a duo that works. After all, fruit and cheese and peanut butter and jelly are some of the greatest culinary partners of our day.
