‘Iron Chef’: What Does ‘Allez Cuisine!’ Mean?

In June, Netflix released a new entry to the Iron Chef franchise. The series pits five Iron Chefs against Challenger Chefs, with one eventually becoming the first Iron Legend. Fans felt excited to see old faces return for the show.

The cooking competition is a continuation of Iron Chef America show that appeared on Food Network. The latter had plenty of iconic moments while it aired on TV. People still recall the revered words “Allez cuisine!” from each episode. In reality, the phrase has a simple English translation.

‘Iron Chef’ has roots in Japan

Iron Chef America is not an original premise but an adaptation of Japan’s Iron Chef. The original show first premiered in 1993 and quickly became a huge hit. In the competition, newcomers in the culinary world went up against well-known chefs.

According to ABC News, Alton Brown described the original as “more of a ‘Godzilla’ movie.” For instance, the chefs used live eels, and the food was occasionally “plain revolting.” Still, the Japanese cooking competition mixed culinary and entertainment. As a result, it drew American TV’s attention.

There was an attempt to adapt the show for American audiences in 2001, but it failed to take off. However, Food Network tried again in 2005 and successfully made Iron Chef America. The series would continue to air for 13 years.

In the American version, Brown starred as the host throughout the years. Meanwhile, actor and martial artist Mark Dacascos was “The Chairman.” The show introduced him as the nephew of the original chairman, who was Takeshi Kaga.

What does ‘Allez Cuisine!’ mean in English?

Fans quote multiple memorable lines from Iron Chef America. For instance, the Chairman would say stuff such as, “Whose cuisine will reign supreme?” Moreover, he would reference his uncle, who was the first chairman of the Japanese franchise.

However, viewers still remember the two iconic words that originate from the Japanese version. The Chairman would regularly tell the competing chefs, “Allez Cuisine!” Some fans have been curious about what he means when he shouts the words before the round begins.

As it turns out, the phrase is from the French language. According to Food Network, “Allez cuisine!” loosely translates to “Go kitchen!” Essentially, the Chairman tells the chefs to go to the kitchen and start cooking.

It may or may not sound grammatically correct in French. Still, the Chairman announces it every time to signal the beginning of each battle. The original Japanese series would use the phrase, and Iron Chef America continued the trend.

Netflix made a reboot of ‘Iron Chef America’

When producing Iron Chef America, Food Network would shoot all the episodes in only three weeks. The competing chefs would have to be in battle after battle during a tight schedule. At least, they would become aware of what items could be the secret ingredient in advance.

The American version of Iron Chef ran until 2018, but now the popular show has made a return. However, fans will not find the new reboot on Food Network. Instead, Netflix released new episodes under the title Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend.

Fans of the food competition saw a couple of familiar faces. Since Brown is an Iron Chef fan, he left Food Network to join the new series as the host. Meanwhile, viewers got to see Dacascos come back as the Chairman.

So far, the reboot only has one season out that consists of eight episodes. It is unknown whether Netflix will renew the show for a second season.