Cooking in the Danger Zone: Taboo foods

In the first of a five part series, food writer Stefan Gates explores some of the most controversial food issues and dangerous places in the world.

ARCTIC CIRCLE

Sunday 6 May 2007 1900 BST BBC Two Repeated: Sunday, 24 June at 0100 BST on BBC Four

In one of the harshest climates of the planet, 500 miles inside the Arctic Circle, Stefan travels to the town of Igloolik where he discovers people still hunting whale and seal.

He goes on a 10-day hunting trip with his Inuit guide Theo, and is forced to put aside any qualms about the hunting of seals and whales as Theo explains their cultural importance.

It may taste like diesel but the local delicacy "muktuk" or raw whale skin is essential to Inuit survival in these most extreme conditions. Stefan even develops a taste for raw seal meat, but an 18-month-old rotten walrus carcass proves to be a culinary step too far.

He also discovers that global warming is threatening the Inuit way of life. Temperatures in the Arctic are rising four times as fast as in the rest of the world, making hunting increasingly dangerous.

Stefan experiences this first hand when their boat gets stuck in the ice leaving them stranded on an island for days. The race is then on to get back to dry land before they are trapped in the ice for the winter.

Read transcript

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Producer: Marc Perkins
Executive producer: Will Daws

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SOUTH KOREA

Sunday 6 May 2007 1900 BST on BBC Two Repeated: Sunday, 24 June at 0100 BST on BBC Four

Is there anything wrong with eating dogs?

Stefan visits a farm where over 2,000 dogs are raised for their meat.

He also picks up a few recipes from "Dr Dogmeat" and hears allegations that dogs are tortured to death.

But when it comes to the crunch, will he tuck in?

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Producer: Alex Mackintosh
Executive producer: Will Daws

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