Here's What Anthony Bourdain's Least Favorite Meal Was, Period

Chef and writer Anthony Bourdain was many things to the food world, but a lover of desserts was not one of them. While promoting his 2016 cookbook, "Appetites," he famously told Publishers Weekly that the reason the chapter on desserts consisted of only a single page is because "I just don't like dessert." Cue the eye twitching. Who doesn't like a chocolate chip cookie or a slice of tiramisu after a meal? Anthony Bourdain, that's who.

The "Parts Unknown" and "No Reservations" host went on to explain that baking simply wasn't in his culinary repertoire, as he wasn't a baker or pastry chef. "I'm not good at pastries. I can't bake. That might explain my love/hate relationship with pastry chefs," he said. "If I had to lose one course for the rest of my life it would be dessert."  But before you lose it altogether at the thought of Bourdain never sampling delicious slices of pie, cake, or ice cream sundaes to cap off a meal, there was at least one dish he didn't mind lingering over as his meal wound to a close.

Anthony Bourdain had a very European outlook on what food was best to end a meal. In his Publishers Weekly interview, he quipped, "Just leave me some good cheese. I want to linger over some good port wine and some really stinky, runny cheese."  Beyond his dessert aversion, there are some practical reasons for this. Many after-dinner drinks pair perfectly with the creamy texture and savory notes of cheese, allowing you to experience a drink's sweet and sharp notes in contrast. 

In England, Stilton and port are a popular end of meal combo, as is garrotxa, a Catalan goat's cheese, and sherry in Spain. Either cheese may be served as wedges with a cheese knife for all to enjoy, making it a communal experience that the sociable Bourdain surely would have enjoyed. After dinner, cheeses are served at room temperature which helps to bring out all of their subtle, nuanced flavors you might miss when they are served cold.   

Still not sold on Bourdain's lack of love for this sweet course? Well, though he remained skeptical of dessert, Thrillist got the cookbook author to admit that there were at least some sweets he enjoyed eating. In the 2018 interview, Bourdain confessed that his favorite dessert was one his mom made, along with one sweet treat that surely everyone can get behind. 

As Bourdain told the publication, that nostalgic dessert was "my mom's creme caramel. Obscure old Escoffier era stuff that you never see, I kinda like." Then, of course, he had a soft spot for "Chocolate: a little piece, I don't need a lot. But very, very rarely. I mean, if you'd never served me dessert, I really wouldn't miss it." So, while dessert may have been Bourdain's least favorite meal, he was like many fellows humans who could still enjoy the sweet nostalgia of treats from his youth.