Amazonian Chef Rejects Vegan Demand for Earthshot Prize Ceremony

In the lead-up to the 2025 Earthshot Prize ceremony, which is set to take place on November 5 in Rio de Janeiro, an acclaimed Amazonian chef named Saulo Jennings was reportedly outraged when the event organizers asked him to prepare an entirely vegan menu.

For Jennings, who serves as a UN gastronomy tourism ambassador, being told to exclude pirarucu - the region's iconic giant freshwater fish - was not merely a matter of preference, but a lack of respect for his culinary traditions. "It was like asking Iron Maiden to play jazz," he told the New York Times.

After some negotiation, Jennings agreed to design an Amazonian-inspired vegan menu using native ingredients. However, the deal ultimately collapsed, and another team was selected to cater the Earthshot awards ceremony.

Instead, Jennings has been commissioned to cook for the Norwegian and Chinese delegations at the upcoming Cop30 conference, which begins on November 10 in Belém, in the heart of the Amazon. For these occasions, he will be able to highlight the region's diverse flavors and, he has respectfully assured, will be serving pirarucu.

The Earthshot prize's insistence on a vegan menu effectively equated veganism with sustainability, but the two concepts do not always align. Some vegan foods, such as avocados, have large carbon footprints. This clash highlights how well-intentioned western environmental initiatives can unintentionally conflict with the values and food practices of the communities they aim to celebrate.