An Italian chef has been axed after he said during his popular lunchtime cookery show that cat meat was one of the best animals he had ever tasted.His remarks came after mentioning how, in the desperate conditions of post-war Italy, some people had taken to boiling stray mogs.
Beppe Bigazzi was explaining about traditions in Tuscany, where he comes from, and how cat meat was popular in the 30s and 40s.
As his co-presenter, Elisa Isoardi, looked on aghast, the 77-year-old told viewers that, far from being a last resort in times of near-famine, gatto in umido was "one of the great dishes of the Valdarno [in Tuscany]".
The secret, he disclosed, was to leave the cat in a fast-running stream for three days.
"What comes out is a delicacy", he enthused. "Many a time I've eaten its white meat." Isoardi, herself a cat owner, tried to interrupt, but to no avail.
"Cat in a thick sauce was "better than chicken, rabbit or pigeon", he said.
During a commercial break, the producers unsuccessfully attempted to persuade the celebrity gourmet that he should apologise when the programme resumed.
Soon afterwards, the switchboard was jammed with calls from appalled viewers.
Bigazzi was today on Italy's National Cat Day, quoted by the newspaper Corriere della Sera as saying he had been referring to events in the past, adding: "You can't judge things from 70 years ago".
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