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Mussel
Blue mussels Mytilus edulis in the intertidal zone in Cornwall, England
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Bivalvia
Subclasses
Pteriomorphia (marine mussels) Palaeoheterodonta (freshwater mussels) Heterodonta (zebra mussels)

Mussel is the common name used for members of several families of clams or bivalvia mollusca, from saltwater and freshwater habitats. These groups have in common a shell whose outline is elongated and asymmetrical compared with other edible clams, which are often more or less rounded or oval.

The word "mussel" is most frequently used to mean the edible bivalves of the marine family Mytilidae, most of which live on exposed shores in the intertidal zone, attached by means of their strong byssal threads ("beard") to a firm substrate. A few species (in the genus Bathymodiolus) have colonised hydrothermal vents associated with deep ocean ridges.

In most marine mussels the shell is longer than it is wide, being wedge-shaped or asymmetrical. The external colour of the shell is often dark blue, blackish, or brown, while the interior is silvery and somewhat nacreous.

The word "mussel" is also used for many freshwater bivalves, including the freshwater pearl mussels. Freshwater mussel species inhabit lakes, ponds, rivers, creeks, canals, grouped in a different subclass, despite some very superficial similarities in appearance.

Freshwater Zebra mussels and their relatives in the family Dreissenidae are not related to previously mentioned groups, even though they resemble many Mytilus species in shape, and live attached to rocks and other hard surfaces in a similar manner, using a byssus. They are classified with the Heterodonta, the taxonomic group which includes most of the bivalves commonly referred to as "clams".

General anatomy[link]

Marine blue mussel, Mytilus edulis, showing some of the inner anatomy. The white posterior adductor muscle is visible in the upper image, and has been cut in the lower image to allow the valves to open fully.

Flight around a 3D-Rendering of a µCT-Scan of a young mytilus that is almost completely covered with balanidae. Resolution of the scan is 29µm/Voxel.

The mussel's external shell is composed of two hinged halves or "valves". The valves are joined together on the outside by a ligament, and are closed when necessary by strong internal muscles. Mussel shells carry out a variety of functions, including support for soft tissues, protection from predators and protection against desiccation.

The shell has three layers. In the pearly mussels there is an inner iridescent layer of nacre (mother-of-pearl) composed of calcium carbonate, which is continuously secreted by the mantle; the prismatic layer, a middle layer of chalky white crystals of calcium carbonate in a protein matrix; and the periostracum, an outer pigmented layer resembling a skin. The periostracum is composed of a protein called conchin, and its function is to protect the prismatic layer from abrasion and dissolution by acids (especially important in freshwater forms where the decay of leaf materials produces acids).

Like most bivalves, mussels have a large organ called a foot. In freshwater mussels, the foot is large, muscular, and generally hatchet-shaped. It is used to pull the animal through the substrate (typically sand, gravel, or silt) in which it lies partially buried. It does this by repeatedly advancing the foot through the substrate, expanding the end so it serves as an anchor, and then pulling the rest of the animal with its shell forward. It also serves as a fleshy anchor when the animal is stationary.

In marine mussels, the foot is smaller, tongue-like in shape, with a groove on the ventral surface which is continuous with the byssus pit. In this pit, a viscous secretion is exuded, entering the groove and hardening gradually upon contact with sea water. This forms extremely tough, strong, elastic, byssus threads that secure the mussel to its substrate. The byssus thread is also sometimes used by mussels as a defensive measure, to tether predatory molluscs, such as dog whelks, that invade mussel beds, immobilising them and thus starving them to death.

In cooking, the byssus of the mussel is known as the "beard" and is removed before the mussels are prepared.

Life habits[link]

A Mytilus with its byssus clearly showing, at Ocean Beach, San Francisco, California

A starfish consuming a mussel in Northern California

Feeding[link]

Both marine and freshwater mussels are filter feeders; they feed on plankton and other microscopic sea creatures which are free-floating in seawater. A mussel draws water in through its incurrent siphon. The water is then brought into the branchial chamber by the actions of the cilia located on the gills for ciliary-mucus feeding. The wastewater exits through the excurrent siphon. The labial palps finally funnel the food into the mouth, where digestion begins.

Marine mussels are usually found clumping together on wave-washed rocks, each attached to the rock by its byssus. The clumping habit helps hold the mussels firm against the force of the waves. At low tide mussels in the middle of a clump will undergo less water loss because of water capture by the other mussels.

Reproduction[link]

Both marine and freshwater mussels are gonochoristic, with separate male and female individuals. In marine mussels, fertilization occurs outside the body, with a larval stage that drifts for three weeks to six months, before settling on a hard surface as a young mussel. There, it is capable of moving slowly by means of attaching and detaching byssal threads to attain a better life position.

Freshwater mussels reproduce sexually. Sperm is released by the male directly into the water and enters the female via the incurrent siphon. After fertilization, the eggs develop into a larval stage called a glochidium (plural glochidia), which temporarily parasitize fish, attaching themselves to the fish's fins or gills. Prior to their release, the glochidia grow in the gills of the female mussel where they are constantly flushed with oxygen-rich water. In some species, release occurs when a fish attempts to attack the mussel's minnow or other mantle flaps shaped like prey; an example of aggressive mimicry.

Glochidia are generally species-specific, and will only live if they find the correct fish host. Once the larval mussels attach to the fish, the fish body reacts to cover them with cells forming a cyst, where the glochidia remain for two to five weeks (depending on temperature). They grow, break free from the host, and drop to the bottom of the water to begin an independent life.

Predators[link]

Marine mussels are eaten by humans, starfish, seabirds, and by numerous species of predatory marine gastropods in the family Muricidae, such as the dog whelk, Nucella lapillus.

Freshwater mussels are eaten by otters, raccoons, ducks, baboons (off the coast of South Africa) and geese.

Distribution and habitat[link]

Mussel dredgers

Marine mussels are abundant in the low and mid intertidal zone in temperate seas globally.

Other species of marine mussel live in tropical intertidal areas, but not in the same huge numbers as in temperate zones.

Certain species of marine mussels prefer salt marshes or quiet bays, while others thrive in pounding surf, completely covering wave-washed rocks. Some species have colonized abyssal depths near hydrothermal vents. The South African white mussel exceptionally doesn't bind itself to rocks but burrows into sandy beaches extending two tubes above the sand surface for ingestion of food and water and exhausting wastes.

Freshwater mussels inhabit permanent lakes, rivers, canals and streams throughout the world except in the polar regions. They require a constant source of cool, clean water. They prefer water with a substantial mineral content, using calcium carbonate to build their shells.

Aquaculture[link]

Mussel output in 2005.

Bouchots are marine pilings for growing mussels, here shown at an agricultural fair.

In 2005, China accounted for 40 per cent of the global mussel catch according to a FAO study.^[1] Within Europe, Spain remained the industry leader. In North America, 80% of cultured mussels are produced in Prince Edward Island in Canada.^[2]

Freshwater mussels are used as host animals for the cultivation of freshwater pearls. Some species of marine mussel, including the Blue Mussel (Mytilus edulis) and the New Zealand green-lipped mussel (Perna canaliculus), are also cultivated as a source of food.

There are a variety of techniques for growing mussels.

• Intertidal growth technique, or bouchot technique: pilings, known in French as bouchots, are planted at sea; ropes, on which the mussels grow, are tied in a spiral on the pilings; some mesh netting prevents the mussels from falling away. This method needs an extended tidal zone.
• Mussels are cultivated extensively in New Zealand, where the most common method is to attach mussels to ropes which are hung from a rope back-bone supported by large plastic floats. The most common species cultivated in New Zealand is the New Zealand green-lipped mussel.
• In Canada Prince Edward Island blue mussels grow naturally in nutrient-rich waters, and are self-sustained with no feed or additives. Farmers use the longline system, where mussel seed is naturally collected, placed in mesh sleeves, then suspended in bays and inlets.^[3]

Food[link]

A type of green mussel caught in Chonburi, Thailand

Humans have used mussels as food for thousands of years and continue to do so. About 17 species are edible, of which the most commonly eaten are Mytilus edulis, M. galloprovincialis, M. trossellus and Perna canaliculus.^[4]

Freshwater mussels nowadays are generally considered to be unpalatable, though the native peoples in North America ate them extensively. During the second World War in the United States, mussels were commonly served in diners. This was due to the unavailability of red meat related to wartime rationing.^[5]

In Belgium, the Netherlands, and France, mussels are consumed with french fries ("mosselen met friet" or "moules-frites") or bread. In Belgium, mussels are sometimes served with fresh herbs and flavorful vegetables in a stock of butter and white wine. Frites/Frieten and Belgian beer sometimes are accompaniments. In the Netherlands, mussels are sometimes served fried in batter or breadcrumbs, particularly at take-out food outlets or informal settings. In France, the Éclade des Moules is a mussel bake that can be found along the beaches of the Bay of Biscay.

In Italy, mussels are often mixed with other sea food, or eaten with pasta.

In Spain, they are consumed mostly steam cooked, sometimes boiling white wine, onion and herbs, and served with the remaining water and some lemon. They can also be eaten as "tigres", a sort of croquette using the mussel meat, shrimps and other pieces of fish in a thick bechamel then breaded and fried in the clean mussel shell. They are used in other sort of dishes such as rices or soups or commonly eaten canned in a pickling brine made of oil, vinegar, peppercorns, bay leaves and paprika.

In Turkey, mussels are either covered with flour and fried on shishs^{[citation needed]} ('midye tava'), or filled with rice and served cold ('midye dolma') and are usually consumed with alcohol (mostly with raki or beer).

They are used in Ireland boiled and seasoned with vinegar, with the "bray" or boiling water as a supplementary hot drink.

In Cantonese cuisine, mussels are cooked in a broth of garlic and fermented black bean. In New Zealand, they are served in a chili or garlic-based vinaigrette, processed into fritters and fried, or used as the base for a chowder. In India, mussels are popular in Kerala, Maharashtra, Karnataka-Bhatkal, and Goa. They are either prepared with drumsticks, breadfruit or other vegetables, or filled with rice and coconut paste with spices and served hot. Fried mussels ('Kadukka' in Malayalam) of north Kerala are a spicy, favored delicacy.

Preparation[link]

This section contains instructions, advice, or how-to content. The purpose of Wikipedia is to present facts, not to train. Please help improve this article either by rewriting the how-to content or by moving it to Wikiversity or Wikibooks. (February 2012)

Mussels can be smoked, boiled, steamed, roasted, barbecued or fried in butter.

As with all shellfish, except shrimp, mussels should be checked to ensure they are still alive just before they are cooked; enzymes quickly break down the meat and make them unpalatable after dying.^{[citation needed]} A simple criterion is that live mussels, when in the air, will shut tightly when disturbed. Open, unresponsive mussels are dead, and must be discarded. Unusually heavy, wild caught, closed mussels may be discarded as they may contain only mud or sand. (They can be tested by slightly opening the shell halves.)

A thorough rinse in water and removal of "the beard" is suggested. Mussel shells usually open when cooked, revealing the cooked soft parts.

Although mussels are valued as food, mussel poisoning due to toxic planktonic organisms can be a danger along some coastlines. For instance, mussels should be avoided along the west coast of the United States during the warmer months. This poisoning is usually due to a bloom of dinoflagellates (red tides), which contain toxins. The dinoflagellates and their toxin are harmless to mussels, even when concentrated by the mussel's filter feeding, but if the mussels are consumed by humans, the concentrated toxins cause serious illness, such as paralytic shellfish poisoning. Usually the U.S. government monitors the levels of toxins throughout the year at fishing sites. See Red Tide.

Nutrition highlights[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Mussels (cooking)

• Excellent source of: Selenium (76 mcg), and vitamin B12 (20 mcg)
• Good source of: Zinc (2.3 mg), and folate (64 mcg)

Foods that are an “excellent source” of a particular nutrient provide 20% or more of the recommended daily value. Foods that are a “good source” of a particular nutrient provide between 10 and 20% of the recommended daily value.

See also[link]

• Clam
• Oyster
• Zebra mussel
• California mussel
• Dwarf wedgemussel

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Mussel

Wikibooks Cookbook has a recipe/module on Mussel

Look up mussel in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Discover Mussels - Mussel Industry Council Mussel information and recipes
• The MUSSEL Project - Hosted by The University of Alabama and Funded by The National Science Foundation
• Freshwater Mussel Genera
• Methods of mussel farming
• Photo of bouchot pilings for growing mussels
• Mississippi River Mussels
• Marine Ecology Station
• Newcastle University Biofouling Group Studying the physiology and behaviour of marine fouling organisms
• Nutrition Facts for Mussels

v t e Commercial mollusks Marine gastropods Abalone Periwinkle Whelk Buccinum undatum Bullacta exarata Land and freshwater gastropods Helix pomatia Helix aspersa Helix aperta Cepaea nemoralis Otala lactea Escargot Free-swimming marine bivalves Scallop Queen scallop Pecten maximus Pecten jacobaeus Argopecten irradians Placopecten magellanicus Infaunal bivalves Clam Atlantic surf clam Soft-shell clam Mercenaria mercenaria Austrovenus stutchburyi Saxidomus nutalli Arctica islandica Cockle Geoduck Spisula solidissima Paphies ventricosa Paphies australis Tuatua Ruditapes largillierti Grooved carpet shell Sessile bivalves Oyster Mussel Pearl oyster Pinctada maxima Freshwater bivalves Freshwater pearl mussel Cephalopods Octopus Squid Techniques Heliciculture Gathering by hand Clam digging Dredging Oyster farming Oyster boats Pearl farming Pearl diving Ama divers Trawling List of fishing topics by subject

v t e Principal commercial fishery species groups Wild Large pelagic fish Mackerel Salmon Shark Swordfish Tuna albacore bigeye Atlantic bluefin Pacific bluefin southern bluefin skipjack yellowfin Forage fish Anchovy Capelin Herring Ilish Menhaden Sardines Shad Demersal fish Catfish Cod Atlantic Pacific Flatfish flounder halibut plaice sole turbot Haddock Mullet Orange roughy Pollock Smelt-whitings Toothfish Freshwater fish Carp Sturgeon Tilapia Trout Other wild fish Eel Whitebait more... Crustaceans Crab Krill Lobster Shrimp and prawn more... Molluscs Abalone Mussels Octopus Oysters Scallops Squid more... Echinoderms Sea cucumbers Sea urchin more... Farmed Carp bighead common crucian grass silver Catfish Freshwater prawns Mussels Oysters Salmon Atlantic salmon trout coho chinook Scallops Seaweed Shrimp Tilapia Commercial fishing World fish production Fishing topics Fisheries glossary

v t e Edible mollusks Bivalves Clams Atlantic jackknife Atlantic surf Geoduck Grooved carpet shell Hard clam Horse Mactra stultorum Blunt gaper Ocean quahog Pacific razor Pecten jacobaeus Venus California butterclam Senilia senilis Smooth clam Soft-shell Triangle shell Tuatua Japanese littleneck Razor clam Pod razor Ensis (razor genus) Paphies Cockles Common Blood Goolwa New Zealand Mussels Blue Mediterranean New Zealand green-lipped California Brown Asian/Philippine green Date Mytilidae (mussel family) Oysters Auckland Eastern Olympia Southern mud Colchester native Pacific Portuguese Windowpane Rock Sydney rock Ostra chilena/Bluff Gillardeau oysters Crassostrea ("true oyster" genus) Scallops Atlantic bay Great/King New Zealand Peruvian calico Yesso Gastropods Abalone White Red Black Green Pink Blacklip Green ormer Pāua (group of 3 species) Chilean Conches Queen Dog Limpets Black foot opihi/Haiwaiian China Common European Rayed Mediterranean Ribbed Mediterranean Rustic Turtle/Talc Yellow foot opihi Periwinkles Common Banded Littorina sitkana Whelks Common Knobbed Lightning Channeled Other snails Sea Mud-flat Korean mud Chorus giganteus Land Helix aspersa Helix lucorum Helix pomatia Freshwater Nerites Inkfish Cuttlefish Spineless Bottletail Octopus Common Atlantic White-spotted Big Blue Pacific Giant Southern Red Amphioctopus fangsiao Squid New Zealand Arrow Japanese Flying Humboldt Neon flying Chitons Chiton magnificus Acanthopleura granulata Related topics: Oyster farming Land snail farming

Jamie Oliver
MBE

Oliver in Union Square in New York City, 2008
Born	James Trevor Oliver (1975-05-27) 27 May 1975 (age 37) Clavering, Essex, England
Cooking style	Fresh and Organic, Italian cuisine, British cuisine
Education	Westminster Kingsway College
Spouse	Juliette Norton (m. 2000) «start: (2000-06-24)»"Marriage: Juliette Norton to Jamie Oliver" Location: (linkback:http://en-wiki.pop.wn.com/index.php/Jamie_Oliver)
Current restaurant(s) Fifteen Jamie's Italian
Television show(s) Oliver's Twist Jamie's School Dinners Jamie's Great Italian Escape Naked Chef Jamie's Kitchen Jamie's Chef Jamie at Home Jamie's Fowl Dinners Jamie's Ministry of Food Jamie's American Road Trip Jamie's Family Christmas Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution Jamie's Dream School Jamie Does 30 Minute Meals
Official website
jamieoliver.com

James Trevor "Jamie" Oliver, MBE (born 27 May 1975) is an English chef, restaurateur and media personality, known for his food-focused television shows, cookbooks and more recently his campaign against the use of processed foods in national schools. He strives to improve unhealthy diets and poor cooking habits in the United Kingdom and the United States. Jamie Oliver's speciality is Italian cuisine, although he has a broad international repertoire.

Life and career[link]

Jamie Oliver was brought up in Clavering, Essex, England. His parents ran a pub, "The Cricketers", where he used to practise in the kitchen.^[1] He was educated at Newport Free Grammar School. He left school at age sixteen without qualifications and went on to attend Westminster Kingsway College, formerly Westminster College.^[1][2] He then earned a City & Guilds NVQ in home economics.

His first job was as a pastry chef at Antonio Carluccio's Neal's Yard restaurant, where he first gained experience with preparing Italian cuisine, and developed a relationship with his 'mentor' Gennaro Contaldo.^[2] Oliver then moved to The River Café, Fulham, as a sous chef.

It was there where he was noticed by the BBC in 1997 after making an unscripted appearance in a documentary about the restaurant, "Christmas at the River Cafe".^[3] That year, his show The Naked Chef debuted and his cookbook became a number one best-seller in the UK.^[4] That same year, Oliver was invited to prepare lunch for then Prime Minister Tony Blair at No. 10 Downing Street.^[4]

Personal life[link]

In July 2000, Oliver married former model Juliette Norton.^[5] The couple met in 1993 and have four children: Poppy Honey Rosie Oliver (born 18 March 2002), Daisy Boo Pamela Oliver (born on 10 April 2003), Petal Blossom Rainbow Oliver (born on 3 April 2009)^[6] and Buddy Bear Maurice Oliver (born on 15 September 2010).^[7] Oliver announced the births of the two youngest children on Twitter.^[8][9] The family lives in Clavering, Essex.^[10]

Ancestry[link]

In 2009 Oliver claimed to be of partial Sudanese ancestry via his great-great grandfather John, whom he described as “a bit swarthy with curly hair”.^[11] However, research for the Sunday Express established that John's father James was a hatter from Penzance, and that James' father Richard was also Cornish, leaving little or no possibility of a Sudanese connection. The family legend of Sudanese ancestry may have originated in the 19th century when John Oliver returned from sea, possibly with a tanned complexion after visiting Africa.^[12]

Notable career milestones[link]

In 2000, Oliver became the face of the UK supermarket chain Sainsbury's through an endorsement deal worth $2 million a year.^[4] After 11 years the partnership between Oliver & Sainsbury's ended. The final television advertisement was for Christmas 2011.^[13]

Oliver created Fifteen in 2002. Each year, fifteen young adults who have a disadvantaged background, criminal record or history of drug abuse, are trained in the restaurant business.^[14]

In 2003, he was awarded an MBE.^[15]

In 2005, he initiated a campaign called "Feed Me Better" in order to move British schoolchildren towards eating healthy foods and cutting out junk food. As a result, the British government also pledged to address the issue. Delving into politics to push for changes in nutrition resulted in people voting him as the "Most Inspiring Political Figure of 2005," according to a Channel 4 News annual viewer poll.^[4]

His emphasis on cooking healthily continued as he created Jamie's Ministry of Food, a television series where Oliver travelled to inspire everyday people in Rotherham, Yorkshire, to cook healthy meals. Another television series is Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution (2010–2011), where he travelled first to Huntington, West Virginia and then to Los Angeles to change the way Americans eat, and address their dependence on fast food.^[4]

Oliver's holding company, Sweet As Candy, has made enough profit for Oliver to have been listed on The Sunday Times list of richest Britons under 30.^[16][17]

In June 2008 he launched Jamie's Italian, his very first high-street business venture^{[clarification needed]} in Oxford, England.^[18]

It was reported in October 2009 that Oliver is in the process of raising US$22 million to help fund 30 of his Italian restaurants in Asia.^[19]

In December 2009, Oliver received the 2010 TED Prize.^[20]

Charity and campaigning[link]

Oliver conceived and established the Fifteen charity restaurant where he trained fifteen disadvantaged young people to work in the hospitality industry. Following the success of the original restaurant in London, more Fifteens have opened around the globe: Fifteen Amsterdam opened in December 2004, Fifteen Cornwall in Newquay opened in May 2006 and Fifteen Melbourne opened in September 2006 with Australian friend and fellow chef Tobie Puttock.^[21]

Oliver then began a formal campaign to ban unhealthy food in British schools and to get children eating nutritious food instead. Oliver's efforts to bring radical change to the school meals system, chronicled in the series Jamie's School Dinners, challenged the junk-food culture by showing schools they could serve healthy, cost-efficient meals that kids enjoyed eating.^[22] Jamie's efforts brought the subject of school dinners to the political forefront and changed the types of food served in schools.^[23]

In June 2003, Oliver was awarded the MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours. He has also written columns for The Times. A great proponent of fresh organic foods, Oliver was named the most influential person in the UK hospitality industry when he topped the inaugural Caterersearch.com 100 in May 2005.^[24] The list placed Oliver higher than Sir Francis Mackay, the then-chairman of the contract catering giant Compass Group, which Oliver had soundly criticised in Jamie's School Dinners. In 2006, Oliver dropped to second on the list behind fellow celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay.^[25] In July 2010, Jamie regained the top spot and has been named as the most powerful and influential person in the UK hospitality industry once again.^[26]

In December 2009, Oliver was awarded the 2010 TED Prize for his campaigns to "create change on both the individual and governmental levels" in order to "bring attention to the changes Englanders and now Americans need to make in their lifestyles and diet."^[20]

In 2010, Oliver joined several other celebrity chefs on the series The Big Fish Fight.^[27] In the series, Oliver, along with fellow chef Gordon Ramsay, spent time on a trawler boat to raise awareness about the discarding of hundreds of thousands of saltwater fish because the fisherman are prohibited from keeping any fish other than the stated target of the trawl.^{[citation needed]}

Oliver is a patron of environmental charity Trees for Cities.^[28]

Advertising[link]

From 1998, Oliver was the public face of the Sainsbury's supermarket chain in the UK, appearing on television and radio advertisements and in-store promotional material. The deal earned him an estimated £1.2 million every year.^[29] By 2004, the company had made 65 advertisements with Oliver, but this arrangement has not been without controversy. Oliver was reported to have admitted that he does not use supermarkets, saying “For any chef, supermarkets are like a factory. I buy from specialist growers, organic suppliers and farmers".^[30] He was also said to have been criticised by Sainsbury's CEO Justin King when he slammed the "junk" sold by supermarkets that ends up in the lunchboxes of millions of children. King reportedly hit back, saying: "Dictating to people – or unleashing an expletive-filled tirade – is not the way to get engagement."^[31]

Oliver has also a line of non-stick pans and cookware for Tefal and has appeared in Australian television commercials for Yalumba wines, using Del Boy's catchphrase of "Lovely Jubbly".^{[citation needed]}

Television shows[link]

Oliver's programmes are shown in over 40 countries, including the USA's Food Network. Oliver's Twist and Pukka Tukka picked up where The Naked Chef left off. More recently, Oliver has appeared in campaigning programmes to improve food in schools and the cooking skills of the average person.^{[citation needed]}

The Naked Chef (1998–1999) was Oliver's first series. The title was a reference to the simplicity of Oliver's recipes and has nothing to do with nudity. Oliver has frequently admitted that he was not entirely happy with the title, which was devised by producer Patricia Llewellyn. (In the UK edit of the show, the opening titles include a clip of him telling an unseen questioner, "No way! It's not me, it's the food!") The success of the programme led to the books Return of the Naked Chef and Happy Days with the Naked Chef.

Series guide:

• Series 1 (6 editions): 14 April 1999 to 16 June 1999
• Series 2 (8 editions): 12 April 2000 to 31 May 2000
• Series 3 (8 editions): 16 October 2001 to 4 December 2001
• Special "Christmas comes early": 21 December 1999
• Special "Christmas in New York": 20 December 2000 - Jamie undertakes a stage in New York
• Special "Christmas Party": 19 December 2001

Pukka Tukka was launched in 2000 on Channel 4.^{[citation needed]}

Oliver's Twist was launched in 2002.^{[citation needed]}

Jamie's Kitchen was a five-part 2002 documentary series. It followed Oliver as he attempted to train a group of disadvantaged youths, who would, if they completed the course, be offered jobs at Oliver's new restaurant "Fifteen". This was followed by Return to Jamie's Kitchen in 2003.

Jamie's Kitchen Australia was a ten-part 2006 television series, similar to Jamie's Kitchen, that was based in and aired in Australia.

Jamie's School Dinners (2005) was a four-part documentary series. Oliver took responsibility for running the kitchen meals in Kidbrooke School, Greenwich, for a year. Disgusted by the unhealthy food being served to schoolchildren and the lack of healthy alternatives on offer, Oliver began a campaign to improve the standard of Britain’s school meals. Public awareness was raised and subsequently the British Government pledged to spend £280m on school dinners (spread over three years). Tony Blair acknowledged that this was a result of Oliver's campaign. Following the success of the campaign, Oliver was named "Most Inspiring Political Figure of 2005" in the Channel 4 Political Awards 2006. In episode 2 of Jamie's School Dinners, Oliver's Fifteen London restaurant was visited by former US President Bill Clinton. Clinton asked to see Oliver; however, Oliver refused: 36 showed up for a booking of 20 and many of them were on a South Beach Diet and refused the special menu that had been prepared, even though it had been approved in advance.^[32]

Jamie's Great Italian Escape, a six-part travelogue series, was first broadcast on Channel 4 in Britain in October 2005. It follows Oliver as he travels around Italy in a blue VW van (plus a trailer for cooking). He is about to turn 30 and this is his personal adventure to rediscover his love of cooking.^{[citation needed]}

Jamie's Return To School Dinners

Jamie's Chef (2007) was a four-part series continuing where Jamie's Kitchen left off. Five years and fifty trainees later, Oliver's most recent series aims to help the winning trainee establish their own restaurant at The Cock, a pub near Braintree, Essex. The charitable Fifteen Foundation retains ownership of the property and has provided a £125,000 loan for the winner, Aaron Craze, to refurbish the establishment. As of 13 January 2008, the Cock has closed down and reopened as a regular pub.^[33][34]

Jamie at Home (2007) featured Oliver presenting home-style recipes and gardening tips, with many ingredients coming from his substantial home garden. Jamie at Home airs on the Food Network in the United States. Due to licensing restrictions, only two recipes from each Jamie at Home episode appear online; also, access to recipes is limited to users within the United States.^[35]

Jamie's Fowl Dinners (2008) was a special with Jamie backing Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's "Hugh's Chicken Run" in trying to get the British to eat free range chickens.^[36]

Jamie's Ministry of Food (2008) was a four-part series that aired from 30 September to 21 October 2008.^[37] It was based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire.^[38] Oliver aimed to make the town "the culinary capital of the United Kingdom" and tried to get the town's inhabitants to learn how to cook fresh food and establish healthy eating as part of daily life.^[39] The 'Pass It On' campaign also featured in this series with the local townspeople being taught one of a selection of recipes and passing it on to family members and friends.^[38] The 'Pass It On' campaign gained a following on the social networking website Facebook which has a group and fan page with users signing up to chart their progress.

What's Cooking? with Jamie Oliver (2008) is a video game with Oliver narrating.

Jamie Saves Our Bacon (2009) was part of Channel 4's British Food Fight Season, a thematic sequel to Jamie's Fowl Dinners. In the special, Oliver looks at the state of pig farming in the UK and EU. It was broadcast on 29 January 2009.^[40]

Jamie's American Road Trip (2009) was a Channel 4 series following Jamie who, rather than visit fancy restaurants and top chefs, meets and learns from real cooks making honest food for working people at street stalls, off-road diners and down-to-earth local restaurants. Along the way, he picks up new recipes and experiences tastes old and new, as well as learning how other cultures adapt when they come to the USA.^[41]

Jamie's Family Christmas (2009) was short series (5 episodes) on Channel 4 with Oliver cooking traditional and new Christmas dishes. More unusually this series includes members of Oliver's family: a family member (wife, children, sister etc.) appears in a supporting role with the preparation of particular recipe interspersed with more traditional Jamie alone delivery to an off-camera person. First broadcast 15 December 2009.^[42]

Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution was a series that aired during 2010 and 2011 on ABC in the United States. In the first season, Oliver visited Huntington, West Virginia, statistically one of the unhealthiest cities in the USA, to try to improve its residents' eating habits. In 2010, the show won an Emmy for Outstanding Reality Programme.^[43] In the second season Oliver visited Los Angeles, California where his crusade to change school meals was met with resistance. Oliver was ultimately barred from filming at any Los Angeles public school. The show's cancellation was announced by ABC in May 2011, two weeks before the final episode of the season had aired.^[44] The program also aired in the United Kingdom on Channel 4 under the title Jamie's American Food Revolution, and in Australia on Channel 10 under the original title.

Jamie Does (2010) or Jamie Oliver's Food Escapes (2011, American title) is a Channel 4 series of 6 episodes following the success of Jamie's American Road Trip. Oliver travels across Europe and North Africa, cooking local dishes.

Jamie's 30 Minute Meals (2010) was Channel 4 series of 40 episodes aired during October–November. The programme focused on home-cooked meals that could be put together within the titular timeframe, using simple 'not cheffy' techniques. There was also an emphasis on educating viewers about the cooking processes themselves.^[45]

Jamie's Dream School (2011) is a Channel 4 series that looks at young people’s educational problems and attempts to uncover whether they are down to personal circumstance, society, or the education system itself. It also examines how the new teachers get on as they try to translate their real-life expertise into the realities of the classroom. The experts include scientist Professor Robert Winston, historian David Starkey, barrister Cherie Blair, journalist and political aide Alastair Campbell, actor Simon Callow, artist Rolf Harris, musician Jazzie B and Olympic gold medallist Daley Thompson.

Jamie advertised with the Daily Mail in October 2011.

Jamie's Fish Supper (2011) was a one-hour special show in which Oliver cooked 10 fish recipes as a part of Big Fish Fight campaign.

Jamie Cooks Summer (2011) was a one-hour special in which Oliver cooked summer dishes in various outdoor locations.

Other television appearances[link]

Oliver has twice guest-hosted Channel 4's The Friday Night Project.

He has also made two appearances in the "Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car" segment of BBC Two's Top Gear. His first appearance was notorious for his attempt to make a green salad in the back of his Volkswagen Microbus,which was fitted with a Porsche engine, while the Stig drove it around the Top Gear test track.

Oliver is the second British celebrity chef (after Robert Irvine) to appear as a challenger on Iron Chef America, taking on Iron Chef Mario Batali in 2008 in a losing battle with cobia as the theme ingredient.^{[citation needed]}

He starred as one of the judges in the 2008 US series Oprah's Big Give hosted by Oprah Winfrey on ABC (America).

He guest starred as himself in the "Meatloaf Surprise" episode of Phineas and Ferb.

Live shows[link]

The Happy Days Live tour was Oliver's first live show in 2001 and included several dates in the UK and Australasia.^[46] Performing to sold-out venues, he cooked on stage and interacted with the audiences with competitions, music and special effects only usually seen in pop concerts.^[47] He took the audiences by surprise by singing and drumming to a song called Lamb Curry written by his longtime friend Leigh Haggerwood. Oliver appears at the BBC Good Food show each year and took to the road once more in 2006 on an Australian tour where he performed in Sydney and Melbourne. Following the entertaining format of his first live show, the 2006 Australian tour featuring special guests including mentor Gennaro Contaldo, and students from Fifteen London. Oliver also performed a new song written by Leigh Haggerwood called Fish Stew which Jamie cooked to and also drummed along to at the end of the show. The shows were a great success and are featured in a one-off TV documentary called Jamie Oliver: Australian Diary.^[48]

Controversy[link]

In 2005, Oliver was widely criticised by animal rights groups for slaughtering a fully conscious lamb on his TV show, while PETA praised Oliver for showing the killing uncensored, claiming that it highlighted problems with the methods used within slaughterhouses for viewers at home.^[49] PETA spokesman Sean Gifford said that it "could turn the more diehard carnivore into a vegetarian."^[49] British TV regulator Ofcom reported they had seven complaints from the public.^[49]

Oliver has been known for his comments about other chefs and has spoken out against Marco Pierre White, who has been critical of Oliver in the past, and the notorious swearing of Gordon Ramsay.^[50]

In 2005, Oliver embarked upon his school dinners campaign to improve the quality of food fed to pupils. While the campaign was arguably successful,^[51] at the time it was a highly controversial shake-up for students and parents, some of whom believed that the students should have a healthy option available, but still be given the choice as to what they want to eat. In September 2006, Rawmarsh Community School, South Yorkshire, UK, made headlines after a handful of parents revolted against Oliver's lunch plan (in which all 1,100 pupils on site were fed two portions of fruit and three vegetables every day) by delivering junk food from local shops to the pupils through the school fence. One parent dismissed Oliver's food as "disgusting rubbish" and declared, "Food is cheaper and better at the local takeaways.”^[52]

In 2008 Jamie revealed on Chris Moyles' Radio 1 show^[53] that he had never cooked a hard boiled egg (as a dish in itself). Jamie volunteered the information, with some embarrassment, when discussing Delia Smith's infamous 'How to boil an egg' gaffe.

In 2011, Oliver, an advocate of cooking meals from scratch and using local produce, caused controversy after it turned out the sauces used in Jamie's Italian in Glasgow were from an industrial park almost 400 miles away in Bicester.^[54] Oliver and Gordon Ramsay are spokeschefs for the "Big Fish Fight," which campaigns for sustainable seafood, but were criticised for their use of endangered fish.^[55]

Also in 2011, Oliver came under fire for lack of food safety protections in his restaurants and illnesses associated with under cooking mince meat that may have been contaminated with E.coli.^[56]

Pop culture[link]

Oliver was mentioned in the South Park episode "Medicinal Fried Chicken". Eric Cartman, one of the main characters, is ordered by Colonel Sanders to stop him from delivering his speech against KFC. He is also featured in the later episode "Crème Fraiche". Oliver cries while trying to convince celebrity chef Bobby Flay that kids' food should be healthy.^[57]

Books[link]

• Something for the Weekend, ISBN 0-14-102258-2
• The Naked Chef, ISBN 0-7868-6617-9
• The Return of the Naked Chef, ISBN 0-7181-4439-2
  • Published in America as The Naked Chef Takes Off, ISBN 0-7868-6755-8
• Happy Days with the Naked Chef, ISBN 0-7868-6852-X
• Jamie's Kitchen, ISBN 1-4013-0022-7
• Jamie's Dinners, ISBN 1-4013-0194-0
• Jamie's Italy, ISBN 0-7181-4770-7
• Cook With Jamie: My Guide to Making You a Better Cook , ISBN 0-7181-4771-5
• Jamie's Little Book of Big Treats, ISBN 0-14-103146-8
• Jamie at Home: Cook Your Way to the Good Life, ISBN 978-0-7181-5243-7
• Jamie's Ministry of Food: Anyone Can Learn to Cook in 24 Hours, ISBN 978-0-7181-4862-1
  • Published in America as Jamie's Food Revolution: Rediscover How to Cook Simple, Delicious, Affordable Meals, ISBN 978-1-4013-2359-2
• Jamie's Red Nose Recipes, ISBN 978-0-14-104178-0
• Jamie's America, ISBN 978-0-7181-5476-9
• Jamie does... Spain, Italy, Sweden, Morocco, Greece, France, ISBN 978-0-7181-5614-5
• Jamie's 30-minute Meals, ISBN 978-0-7181-5477-6
• Jamie's Great Britain, ISBN 978-0-7181-5681-7

Notes[link]

• Jamie Oliver @ telegraph in The Telegraph
• Jamie Oliver biography in BBC Online
• Q&A with the Naked Chef Jamie Oliver, 8 November 2007
• Jamie Oliver's Restaurants – Fifteen at Visit Britain
• Jamie Oliver at the Chef and Restaurant Database
• 350 Years of Jamie's Family History
• Video of Jamie's talk at TED
• Jamie Oliver interviewed by Decca Aitkenhead on Guardian October 2010.

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• List of social entrepreneurs
• Stafford Hildred, Jamie Oliver: The Biography (2001) ISBN 1-903402-55-7
• Gilly Smith, Jamie Oliver: Turning Up the Heat (2006) ISBN 0-233-00168-9
• Gilly Smith, Jamie Oliver: The Kitchen Crusader (2006) ISBN 978-1-86200-414-6

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Jamie Oliver

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Jamie Oliver

• Jamie Oliver Official website
• Jamie Oliver at the Internet Movie Database

Gordon Ramsay

Gordon Ramsay, 2010
Born	Gordon James Ramsay (1966-11-08) 8 November 1966 (age 45) Johnstone, Renfrewshire, Scotland
Cooking style	French/Italian/British
Education	North Oxfordshire Technical College
Spouse	Tana Ramsay (m. 1996) «start: (1996-12-21)»"Marriage: Tana Ramsay to Gordon Ramsay" Location: (linkback:http://en-wiki.pop.wn.com/index.php/Gordon_Ramsay)
Rating(s) Michelin stars Mobil Good Food Guide
Current restaurant(s) Restaurant Gordon Ramsay Boxwood Café Savoy Grill Maze Pétrus Banquette Verre Gordon Ramsay au Trianon Palace, Versailles Gordon Ramsay at Conrad Tokyo Gordon Ramsay at The London West Hollywood Gordon Ramsay at Powerscourt Cerise by Gordon Ramsay Gordon Ramsay at The London La Noisette The Narrow The Devonshire Rôtisserie Laurier Plane Food at Heathrow Airport T5
Previous restaurant(s) Gordon Ramsay at The Connaught Gordon Ramsay at Claridge's Amaryllis Aubergine
Television show(s) Boiling Point Beyond Boiling Point Kitchen Nightmares Hell's Kitchen (UK) Hell's Kitchen (US) The F Word Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares Gordon Ramsay: Cookalong Live Gordon's Great Escape MasterChef (US) Ramsay's Best Restaurant
Official website
www.gordonramsay.com

Gordon James Ramsay, OBE (born 8 November 1966)^[1] is a British chef, television personality and restaurateur.^[2] He has been awarded 13 Michelin stars in total and currently holds 12.^[3][4][5]

Ramsay is known for presenting TV programmes about competitive cookery and food, such as the British series Hell's Kitchen, The F Word, Ramsay's Best Restaurant, and Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares, along with the American versions of Hell's Kitchen, Kitchen Nightmares, and MasterChef.