The Southern Comfort Food Guy Fieri Wasn't A Fan Of

Guy Fieri has eaten a lot of food in his nearly 20 years as the host of "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives," and he clearly did not enjoy every regional dish he was given. While he would eventually change his tune about some local delicacies — such as the peanut butter cheeseburger that Fieri now adores — others, such as chitterlings (better known as chitlins), were better left as a one-time try for the tenured celebrity chef.

Fieri first tried chitlins in the Season 17 episode of Triple D entitled "Timeless Traditions" when he visited Cora Faye's Café — a southern-style restaurant located in Denver, Colorado. The California native was clearly hesitant to try out the delicacy, as chitlins are made of pig intestines and are oftentimes considered unappetizing to those unfamiliar with the dish. Nevertheless, Fieri gave the dish a shot and, while he wasn't actively repulsed, he admitted that chitlins are "an acquired taste" and wasn't a fan of the once-popular Thanksgiving food.

Chitlins joined the list of foods that Guy Fieri tends to avoid on that fateful day in the early 2010s, but he certainly wasn't the first person to be put off by the dish after he tasted it. In fact, chitlins have been a dish that has been widely polarizing for years — even among the communities that still make them today. Seeing as chitlins were first popularized in the United States by enslaved Africans who were left with the unwanted parts of meat their captors didn't want, the delicacy is strongly tied to both Southern and African American culture. However, despite being considered by many to be a pillar of soul food, many can't get over the unsavory qualities that chitlins possess, such as their strong smell, taste, and texture. Plus, even if someone doesn't mind these aspects of the dish, the mere fact that they are pig intestines has turned many people — especially young African Americans today — off from the delicacy.

Nonetheless, Fieri's reaction to eating chitlins for the first time seemingly sums up the feelings of many fans of the dish. Even if he wasn't an immediate fan of the food, he did recognize its cultural importance. "Everybody's gotta try chitlins once," Fieri admitted, "[it's] real deal, old school southern soul food."