Omnivore on Apple TV+ shows how food connects the world and shapes the human experience itself through eight essential ingredients.
Creators: Cary Joji Fukunaga, Matt Goulding, René Redzepi
Genre: Documentary
Number of episodes: 8
Global Release Date: all episodes on July 19, 2024
Where to watch Omnivore: on Apple TV+
René Redzepi is a chef, one of the most renowned in the world. Growing up between Denmark and North Macedonia, Redzepi was exposed to many unique food items and customs. In the series Omnivore, he discusses the food that shaped his restaurant business and which particular ingredients have influenced the global food trade. Other shows, like Man vs. Food and the collective filmography of the late Anthony Bourdain, also deal with food travel and investigation.
Redzepi goes beyond what those shows discuss by adding philosophy and human culture into the narrative. We all know humanity is driven by hunger; Omnivore goes further and shows us how hunger influences human decision-making.
Omnivore covers the spectrum of food and the industries that deliver it, living up to its name by highlighting both meat and plant items. The show through its eight episodes discusses the export and maintenance of food items. In doing so, Omnivore shows how they go beyond food. An entire episode is devoted to salt, whose nature as a preservative and flavor enhancer has been known since the beginning of time. Corn in particular has become the most removed from nature, serving as a commodity for fuel and textiles as well as food. By showing how far these products go, Redzepi illustrates how much we, as viewers, take our food products for granted. Many of them are so much more than meals, and many farmers and manufacturers deserve all the respect in the world for producing this food for a living.
Every episode builds off of the ones before it. Pork and tuna are stored in salt. Rice is a garnish used for main courses including those of corn. Salt preserves all of them for later. A corn tortilla will be wrapped over pork and served with a sauce of chile, meaning the ingredients of Omnivore together will make for one hearty meal. Redzepi, as the owner of a prestigious restaurant in Denmark, knows the importance of a global economy and international trade. The best way he can highlight this is through the exchange and distribution of food. Every episode contains an eye-opening fact which gets you to reconsider the food and reconsider how it got onto your plate.
Each ingredient Redzepi spotlights comes with some ethical dilemmas. Redzepi does not shy away from controversies, such as the oppression of the banana industry on developing countries in Latin America or how coffee impacted the slave trade. Even so, each food has an important role to play in our diet and is essential to our health and national wealth. Food is a business, and like every business, it can be corrupted. Both the positive and negative aspects of food trade are shown here, which gives a truly modern, global perspective on the most important industry in the world.
Perhaps the most fascinating episode, and the one which sums up the thesis of the entire show, is “Pig”. Pork is a high-commodity, important meat, and yet pigs are known for their intelligence and social behavior, leading to a moral debate in consuming them. The episode highlights the Feast of San Anton in Spain, where celebration and reverence is held of a pig which they intend to slaughter, but still respecting its life as an animal. As a living being, the pig is shown as a protagonist and even humanized a little, and the delicate ideas of life and death are shown with its struggle. In the end, Redzepi goes all the way with his omnivore’s dilemma, deciding all life has value and purpose, and the pig’s life is at least in service of humanity both alive and dead.
Every food item has a story, and all stories go back to the beginning of time. René Redzepi tells the stories while also explaining the science, history, and culture of eight ubiquitous food items. What separates Omnivore from other food documentaries is its attention to detail and genuine passion from a worldly man in a global industry. The research is impeccable and the editing and presentation perfected, with not one moment feeling superfluous. This show captivates and educates, getting us as consumers to care about how and why the food we consume ended up on our plates. Whether it be for its storytelling or educational value, Omnivore is a fantastic watch for documentary enthusiasts and casual viewers alike.
All 8 episodes of Omnivore will be released globally on Apple TV+ on July 19, 2024.
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