Analiese Gregory explains Tasmanian food customs on Gordon Ramsay Uncharted

In Gordon Ramsay Uncharted, Analiese Gregory introduces Tasmania to foodies.

On Gordon Ramsay Uncharted Season 2 premiere, Gordon is introduced to Tasmanian food and culture by Analiese Gregory, a celebrated chef and expert on the local Tasmanian cuisine and customs. While Tasmanian food might not be on many local restaurant menus, the concepts that are rooted in this food culture reach far beyond the island’s shores.

Foodies are always looking for the next great culinary adventure. While flavors and ingredients can travel far beyond the individual table, people need to be exposed to those concepts. Through this culinary knowledge, foodies find that the commonalities are greater than the differences.

On Sunday, June 7, the Gordon Ramsay Uncharted Season 2 premiere episode heads to Tasmania. While the name might bring to mind a particular cartoon character, this island off the coast of Australia is not a devilish creature. Rather, it is pristine location that is deeply rooted in tradition and tied to the bounty that the land offers.

Similar to the previous season, Gordon Ramsay is guided through the region by a local expert. In this episode, Analiese Gregory aids Gordon in the ways of the locals. While some ingredients and experiences might be a little unusual, the underlying message is heartwarming. The land can and will provide when people respect it.

Although many foodies are familiar with many celebrated chefs, Chef Gregory might not be an instantly recognizable name. After this episode, she will be on many foodies’ radar.

The celebrated chef has an impressive resume. From Michelin-starred restaurants to cooking around the globe, her experience has molded her. While she might not be playing with intricate cooking and plating methods currently, her ability to adapt to the fresh, local ingredients takes even more creativity.

From the foraging ingredients to supporting local farmers to appreciating the cultural connection behind the food, Gregory is not just an expert in the kitchen, she seeks to inform others. In some ways, that willingness to spark a conversation is as important as the delicious food on the plate.

Ahead of the Gordon Ramsay Uncharted Season 2 premiere, Analiese Gregory graciously spoke to me about Tasmanian food and shared a recipe that is similar to the dishes that will be presented in Sunday’s episode. Without revealing details of the episode, foodies and culinary adventurers will want to savor each and every moment.

Like any culinary adventure, there is part fun with the experience. Given Tasmania’s location, the locals often rely on fresh, caught and foraged ingredients. One concept that seems to drive some of the food is ocean to plate.

From ocean to plate

Gregory said, “As an island, we are surrounded by seas which are some of the most unpolluted and pristine waters I’ve seen. Because of this, Tasmania is one of the world’s largest exporters of abalone and crayfish. Hobart is the first place I’ve been able to buy crayfish off a dock, scale fish that have literally been out of the water for about 3 hours and oysters straight from the lease. It’s addictive, being able to eat and work with this produce.”

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Anyone who has eaten local, fresh ingredients understands that the flavor is just different. When cooking with fresh ingredients, it is always best to let those ingredients shine. Instead of piling ingredient on top of ingredient, simplicity brings out those pristine flavors.

In some ways, those local ingredients bring the flavor to the plate. Whether it is the location or creativity, the dishes seem to be bolder.

Gregory said, “I think a lot of Australian ingredients are very flavourful, whether it be spicy, acidic, astringent, herbal. The flavours of the food seem to mirror the landscape and the climate which has extremes. There is a purity of flavour I often find in Tasmanian ingredients though that doesn’t always exist elsewhere.”

In some ways, the idea that flavor mimics the landscape is the perfect way to celebrate any local dish. While Americans might not have game meat at the local grocery store, they can understand the concept of eating fresh and local.

While watching the episode, some of the ingredients will be unfamiliar to some people. It is unlikely that wallaby will be available at Publix. Still, the idea of these recipes can be applied to other similar proteins.

For example, when thinking about the wallaby, Gregory said, “I find wallaby nowhere near as gamey as kangaroo, it’s lean, rich, tender, and for me, has a flavour somewhere between veal and venison.”

Focusing on adaptable flavors

Given that description, foodies could adapt a recipe by using venison. Using the concepts and flavors with a different protein only further proves the food connection across cultures.

Even on a broader concept, the idea of surf and turf appears in many cultures. While Americans might reference steak and lobster, it is not the only option.

Gregory said, “I think it’s just about the ingredients you have available to you. In many cultures seafood and meat are paired together whether it be traditional surf and turf, a rabbit and squid paella, a carpetbag steak or pork and scallops.” It is not about the exact ingredient combination; it is about the concept.

In a way, using the ingredients that are available is an important conversation. The concept of resourcefulness should not be limited to just an island location. Still, that island can serve as an example for all foodies.

For example, Gregory said, “I think any people that are in rural or isolated parts of the world are driven to be resourceful and to preserve what they have. Certainly for me, being here has opened my eyes to waste, made me desire to live more sustainably, to spend more time in nature and to try and have a lighter footprint on the world. I can only imagine it has that effect on other people too.”

Again, the connection between people, food and culture cannot happen in a bubble. While people might feel worlds apart, they are not isolated. When people want to find that common thread, they will.

As part of the episode, Gordon Ramsay Uncharted shared his recipe based on some of the dishes explored in Tasmania.

Wallaby Tartare Recipe

Looking at this recipe, it can be adapted for any home cook. Instead of wallaby, consider venison or just beef. More importantly, it serves as an invitation to try new flavors.

Even though many foodies may want to jump on a plane to Tasmania after this episode, some of the flavors can be explored in the home kitchen.

Gregory recommended to find and use “some of the ingredients from here, like pepperberry or leatherwood honey, by cooking with more seafood, using seaweed and abalone liver as seasonings, or just by combining ingredients that are found here and elsewhere in ways that we use them. I especially loved Gordons use of leatherwood honey, sea urchin and crayfish together in the show. It was an amazing combination.”

Whether you cook the recipe from the show or try some of the local flavors, one important message resonated with me. The Tasmanian culture has an idea of bearing a gift when you meet a person.

While food on a plate is often a memorable gift, Gregory stated it simply, “I can only speak for myself personally here, but food is what I have to offer, whether it’s something I’ve made, preserved or foraged. I feel taking food gifts to people breeds goodwill.”

As I watch the new season of Gordon Ramsay Uncharted, explore the flavors of other cultures and make experiences around the table, the words from Analiese Gregory ring in my ear, food gifts can bring goodwill and, hopefully, those positive moments last far beyond the plates being cleared from the table.

Analiese Gregory is culinary expert on Gordon Ramsay Uncharted, Season 2, episode 1, Tasmania. This show will premiere on Sunday, June 7 at 10 p.m. on National Geographic channel.

Are you ready for more culinary adventures? Do you think that good can be the goodwill that brings people together?