A British celebrity chef insulted Mexican bread. Mexico took it personally

MEXICO CITY — Don’t mess with my bolillos!

That’s the universal message here, after disparaging remarks about Mexican bread emerged from a British celebrity chef who mocked the beloved bolillo: The oval-shaped, white bread roll, a culinary and cultural staple, is a comforting dish with spiritual cachet in tortas (sandwiches), pan con chocolate (chocolate bread) and other staples.

Chef Richard Hart, who runs a popular bakery in Mexico City, said in a podcast that recently resurfaced online that Mexicans “don’t have much of a bread culture.” He labeled Mexican wheat as “not good… very processed, full of additives” and added: “They’re pretty cheap and sandwiched on these white, ugly rolls that are industrially made.”

This frontal attack on el bolillo came as many Mexicans were preparing to stock up on soft bread for the holidays. Judging by the reactions, Hart may have dissed the national football team as well.

“Bolillo is a sacred food in Mexico, it is part of our daily life,” said Carlos López, 32, as he awaited his daily torta de tamal sandwich, a cornmeal tamale stuffed inside a bolillon.

“This is the breakfast of millions of Mexicans!” López talked about the bloated cholesterol bomb that typically drips into hot sauce. “I think this British cook should close his shop and go back to his country.”

Defenders of the bolillon have scaled the walls of the internet to defend their modest fare. Many were posted under #ConElBolilloNo.

“Bolillo is everything: It is food, it is a remedy, it is homeland,” said one angry commenter on X.

The insult angered many because it touched on both a current issue (gentrification in Mexico City) and an old sore point: foreigners using supposedly high European standards to judge Mexico, where Hart now makes a living.

Another poster expressed the hope that the highbrow European chef had learned his lesson with bolillo and wouldn’t dare disparage other favorites like the ubiquitous concha, a sweet bread shaped like a seashell with a sugary topping.

“Think twice if you’re going to bother with vanilla or chocolate concha,” the user warned.

London-born Hart, who honed his sourdough skills at San Francisco’s acclaimed Tartine Bakery for seven years, issued an apology online last week after comments he made months ago went viral.

“Ever since I came to Mexico, I have fallen in love with the people of this city,” Hart wrote. “However, my words did not reflect this respect. I am a guest in this country and I forgot to behave accordingly.”

A worker restocks shelves with pancakes and other types of bread at the Ideal bakery in Mexico City.

(Lisette Poole/For The Times)

This was unusual in the kitchen for Mexico, which has a world-famous cuisine that includes dozens of varieties of breads and pastries, both savory and sweet. Many are elaborations on European originals and often bear suggestive names such as banderilla (banner), bigote (moustache), tortuga (turtle) and colchón (bed).

Mexico is especially known for holiday breads such as pan de muerto (for the Day of the Dead), which are often left on the graves of loved ones; and Rosca de Reyes, a round sweet loaf with the figure of the baby Jesus traditionally hidden inside, eaten on Three Kings Day (Epiphany) on January 6.

Famous Mexican chef Edgar Nuñez, who studied in France, wrote of X in response to the bolillo controversy: “Mexico does not imitate European bread because there is no need to.” “There is a proper baking tradition here, with its own history, identity, technique and social ties that are missing in many cultures.”

Hart did not respond to messages left at Green Rhino, his bakery in the capital’s shabby-chic Roma Norte district.

Workers at the restaurant said reports that the Green Rhino was vandalized were not true. There were no external signs of damage as of Friday afternoon.

Employees said that approximately 50 people work at Green Rhino, which opened in June. Business looked slow on Friday afternoon. Some potential customers lingered outside the building, apparently wondering if it was okay to come in.

Clockwise from top right: Concha sweet bread sold at a food stand in Mexico City’s La Roma neighborhood and various items from Bou bakery.

(Lisette Poole / For The Times)

“I think it’s a misunderstanding,” said regular customer Sofia, 28, who, like other customers interviewed, declined to give her full names for privacy reasons. “Yeah, I think I’ll go back. It’s a nice place.”

The Bolillo brouhaha quickly became part of the fierce debate about gentrification in Mexico City.

Critics blamed the rising rents and displacement of longtime residents and businesses on a wave of digital nomads and other immigrants from the United States, Canada, Europe and elsewhere. Foreign visitors, mostly young, are seen wandering through gentrified neighborhoods each day, glancing at their mobile phones and following directions to the latest hotspots highlighted on Instagram and TikTok. Many popular bakeries carry European-style breads and pastries.

In July, angry Mexican protesters, mostly young people, marched in the popular Roma neighborhood and the adjacent Condesa neighborhood to denounce foreign-led gentrification. Some restaurants and cafes were vandalized, with windows broken and outdoor tables of several businesses toppled over, including a popular Starbucks with mostly Mexican customers.

A worker restocks bread ingredients at the Ideal bakery.

(Lisette Poole/For The Times)

Despite complaints about gentrification, foreign and Mexican customers who gravitate towards pricey establishments like Green Rhino have a clear advantage. Increased business has helped spur an economic rebound in Rome and Condesa, ground zero for gentrification. Both regions suffered major damage in the 2017 earthquake and have seen business decline again during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Still, the attack on El Bolillo clearly struck a nerve in the festive capital. Christmas decorations adorn many storefront bakeries that stand as community mainstays throughout Mexico City.

“Did he really say that?” asked retiree Roberto Celorio Díaz, who purchased bread from the “local” Lupita bakery, when he learned of Hart’s comments.

“This is very sad for Mexicans,” he said. “Foreigners come, they live in our city, they criticize our food, our culture. Maybe it is better for them to stay in their own country, where everything is better.”

McDonnell is a staff writer and Sánchez Vidal is a special correspondent.