Pass! A restaurant in Kilmarnock, Scotland, is offering an aardvark pizza. Yes, you read that right, aardvark. As a pizza topping.
“I wanted to do this because it’s something different and unique,” Anser Anton, head chef of Indian Accents, told the Kilmarnock Standard. “I wanted to bring unique flavors to the people of Kilmarnock and bring out the different flavors. We could be the first in Scotland with an aardvark pizza — I’m not sure. It’s certainly pretty rare!”
Aardvarks are nocturnal, insect-eating animals native to Africa. According to the African Wildlife Foundation, aardvarks are often hunted by African tribes for their meat, and also for charms that can be made from various body parts, including the teeth, which some believe prevent illnesses. Sellers and vendors of this meat are required to have a specific license due to the U.K.’s bushmeat import legislation.
The Kilmarnock Standard reports that in addition to aardvark, the pizza — which costs between $8.50 and $15 — is topped with green chiles, spicy chicken, and minced lamb meat. One of the publication’s reporters gave the dish a shot and said: “You wouldn’t really know the aardvark was there unless you were told about it. However, it is very exotic nonetheless.”
After hearing about the exotic topping, East Ayrshire Council immediately took action to ensure that Indian Accents has any and all the appropriate licenses to serve aardvark.
One customer told The Daily Mail that when they went to the restaurant on May 8, an employee told an inspector there wasn’t actually aardvark on the pie.
“It was really bizarre,” the customer recalled of the inspector asking for more information and requesting to see documentation. “The staff member was saying it was only called an aardvark pizza; there wasn’t actually aardvark in it. He said it was just spicy mince, chicken, and lamb.”
A spokesperson for the council told The Daily Mail: “Officers will be fully investigating this matter to ensure that the restaurant owner is complying with all relevant legislation.”
