Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Omnivore’ On Apple TV+, A Docuseries About Ingredients That Form The Basis Of Meals All Over The Planet

Omnivore is a docuseries, narrated by René Redzepi, the chef-owner of Stockholm’s acclaimed restaurant Noma, that examines the ingredients that form the basis of meals all over the planet. The idea is that people may not know the origins of the humble ingredients we use every day, and how critical they have been to how we experience food and the shared experience of eating with friends and family.

OMNIVORE: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Opening Shot: A field of flowers. We then see chef René Redzepi walking with his dog in that field. “We are what we eat,” says Redzepi in a voice over. “This is the oldest and truest recipe I know of.”

The Gist: The first episode is about the chile pepper. As Redzepi goes over its history, which starts in the Amazonian rainforest, where their spicy flesh and seeds kept all animals from eating them, except for birds, who were impervious to the spice. Of course, birds migrate and poop out seeds, so the pepper plants easily spread, also helped by explorers like Christopher Columbus bringing back seeds to Europe. Redzepi then talks about the origins of the Scoville scale, which measures the relative spiciness of each pepper.

From there, the producers go to different parts of the world. A village in Serbia, for is known for being one of the largest growers of the paprika pepper, called the “string pepper” because the harvested peppers are strung up to dry. Multiple generations of one family farm, dry, roast and grind the paprika, and wonder if the business will continue given younger generations’ aversion to agriculture work.

The filmmakers then visit Avery Island, Louisiana, where the Tabasco pepper is grown for Tabasco brand hot sauce, the same way it has been since 1868, when Edmund McIlhenny founded the company. In Bangkok, a chef named Prin Polsuk works with the tiny but powerful prik kee noo pepper. Back in Copenhagen, Redzepi grows a ghost pepper derivative called the Brut Orange Copenhagen pepper, and has the entire staff at Noma try the 800,000 Scoville-unit pepper right before it’s served to customers at that night’s dinner service. The tears, sniffing and pain the staff experience continue through the shift.

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? Omnivore feels like Taste The Nation With Padma Lakshmi, but with lots of “the power of food” overtones we’ve seen from The Bear.

Our Take: Omnivore is a great-looking series, that’s for sure. The various directors and cinematographers involved in the series, which was developed by Cary Joji Fukunaga (Redzepi is one of the EPs) not only lovingly film the various foods that are the subjects of each episode, but it’s also very reverent with the people they talk to in the various locales.

What we wish is that Redzepi was more than just a narrator. Sure, we see him at the beginning and end of each episode, showing how he interacts with the particular ingredient and what he does with that ingredient at Noma. We also get that the man is busy and likely just couldn’t travel with the filmmakers. But Omnivore would be a lot better if we saw how Redzepi interacted with the people and the foods in the different locales the show goes to.

Without that personal touch, there is a bit of a detached feeling to the whole thing. Redzepi introduces the segment, and we hear his thoughts interspersed throughout. But otherwise, the vibe is more observant than participatory.

Then, when we go back to Redzepi back in Stockholm, we see him and the staff at Noma and expect them all to say “Yes, chef” to each other, given the somewhat formal way he gathers and talks with the staff when he introduces his ghost pepper derivative to them.

The air of pretentiousness on the show is evident. After all, what we’re talking about is food, not religion or philosophy or some other hoary concept. But the love Redzepi and the filmmakers have for each ingredient, its history and origins, and the places that use the ingredients to their best potential, is also evident.

Sex and Skin: None, besides food porn.

Parting Shot: Bathed in a red filter, we see diners at Noma reacting to biting into the Brut Orange Copenhagen pepper.

Sleeper Star: The cinematographers are the stars here, because they did a great job making every locale utterly gorgeous. In fact, we wanted to fly to Serbia and take pictures of those curtains of drying peppers in golden hour sunlight, those scenes were so good.

Most Pilot-y Line: During the scenes where the Noma staff is eating the Brut Orange Copenhagen pepper, it seems like they’re starting to tap and hum a song, but it’s pretty obvious that’s all in the editing. Hard to do that when there’s tears in your eyes.

Our Call: STREAM IT. Omnivore is a visual feast and an informative docuseries about essential everyday ingredients we all use and eat. We just wish it was a bit more warm and personal of a show.

Joel Keller (@joelkeller) writes about food, entertainment, parenting and tech, but he doesn’t kid himself: he’s a TV junkie. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Slate, Salon, RollingStone.com, VanityFair.com, Fast Company and elsewhere.