World Cup Food: What’d’ya eat?

[John Talbott]

World Cup Food:

What’d’ya eat?

Boy oh boy, what a last 36 hours! Today, as I sat glued to the TV watching Trinidad and Tobago deftly holding off Sweden and Drogba singlehandedly try, but ultimately be unable to, best Argentina, I thought, I shouldn’t be eating “normal” food, I should be indulging in beef jerky, ndole and beef respectively.

Now, as a child of WWII, I draw the line at gorging on knockwurst and sauerkraut at every German goal, or over-cooked mutton when the Brits score (altho’ Beckham can sure bend ‘em can’t ‘e?), but there are so many new-comers to this year’s soccer-football feast, how do you do suitable homage to their respective cuisines?

A bit back, there was a terrific thread on what to eat during the Tour de France. I’d like to stimulate us in a similar fashion to think of how we will honor the great and tiny nations that qualified for this wonderful event by suggesting what we might eat as the days next week unfold.

So, for tomorrow, where do we pick up Serbian- Montenegrin cheese envelopes for breakfast, Persian rice and lamb for lunch and Angolan fish soup for dinner, etc.? I can certainly handle Monday, right, pickles and miso soup for breakfast, a foie gras hamburger (see the Digest) for lunch and pasta with the grandkiddies for dinner. But afterwards? Togolese, Croatian, Ecuadorian?

[fresh_a]

Today in The Times.

[piazzola]

Well my bet is going three ways

First of all Argentina

Second Ukraine

Third Australia

So I may have asado and empanadas one day, borscht and varenikies and or any Aussie treat

[Dave Hatfield]

Monday's easy. Hot dogs & hamburgers as I watch my native countrymen try to beat the Czechs. Pity I can't get any Bud, I'll just have to celebrate with Stella.

[bethesdabakers]

As one who believes sport, especially football, to be a negative influence on society, at the appointed hour of 2.00 p.m. on Saturday I was sitting smugly at the bottom of the garden cooking chicken and chestnut tagine over a wood fire.

Don't even know if Morocco is in the World Cup.

Mick

[Rehovot]

Great setup, bethesdab.! It would do H.D. Thoreau proud... "I went to the woods to live simply...and to get the heck away from football!"

Monday night, my husband and I plan to go back to the sushi place we went to for the kickoff game, to watch the U.S. trounce the Czechs. Whoever wins, one of us is bound to be disappointed.

[John Talbott]

Today in The Times.

←

Outstanding but it was unclear if he's going to continue these every day.

[Ed Ward]

Living in Berlin, I'm finding it impossible to avoid any contact with this month-long orgy, but I'm trying to find countries not involved and tend towards them. I was supposed to get a Sri Lankan cooking lesson this weekend, but it didn't happen. They're not in the line-up, are they? Wonder who else has interesting cuisine but no team playing.

And whose ingredients you can get in Berlin, which is a whole other ball of wax...

[bethesdabakers]

It's amazing how similar today's photo is to yesterday's:

But to quote one of football's many cliches, it's a game(bird) of two halves. Today the anti-world-cup tagine contained the second half chicken a la Murray, a recipe donated years ago by a friend from Barbados. Preceded by Irish smoked salmon and followed by Pakistani honey mangos.

Soon be over.

Mick

[johnnyd]

I'm planning a feijoada on July 1st when Brazil puts the Dutch away for good...

[Fai Jackson]

Monday's easy. Hot dogs & hamburgers as I watch my native countrymen try to beat the Czechs. Pity I can't get any Bud, I'll just have to celebrate with Stella.

←

Why not some Czech beer -- it's pretty good.

[Fai Jackson]

As one who believes sport, especially football, to be a negative influence on society, at the appointed hour of 2.00 p.m. on Saturday I was sitting smugly at the bottom of the garden cooking chicken and chestnut tagine over a wood fire.

Don't even know if Morocco is in the World Cup.

Mick

←

I'm with you. But I am lucky enough to live in an ethnically diverse city. At least, it's lucky any time but world cup. Here in Toronto, every car,but mine, is bedecked with a national flags, everything from Portugul to Trinadad/Tobago etc. etc.

Oh well, only every 4 years ( I think) It seems like once a month to me. BTW you should be here when Italy, Portugul or Brazil (Portuguese connection) wins, to paraphrase a famous Canadian, Martin Short, "Quite a party, I must say".

[Dave Hatfield]

Been thinking. Bad, I know, but....

What are the "National Dishes" that spring to mind when a country is mentioned? Some are fairly easy.

Hamburgers for the USA, fish & chips for the UK, but what about France for example?

Cassoulette? Too regional I think. Moules/frites? Think the Belgians should have that one.

Only 32 countries to cover let's see if we can come up with a dish for each.

[John Talbott]

but what about France for example?

←

Frogs legs, snails and foie gras.

[Dave Hatfield]

but what about France for example?

←

Frogs legs, snails and foie gras.

←

Haven't heard of that dish "Grenouille saute avec foie gras et escargot farci"?

Sous vide?

Or did you mean separatley?

We have Italy vs Ghana tonight. Pizza or spagetti are easy, but I haven't a clue for Ghana. Suggestions.

[John Talbott]

What are the "National Dishes" that spring to mind when a country is mentioned? Some are fairly easy.

←

Well if we think stereotypically, esp as to nicknames, we come up with:

Limes for the Brits

Frogs for the French

Sauerkraut for the Germans

A nasty slur for inexpensive red wine for the Italians

[Ptipois]

For France, cassouLET would be national enough, I think. It would be hard to find anything frencher than that. Or maybe entrecôte au poivre with frites.

For Trinidad and Tobago, that would definitely be calaloo.

Belgium will have the complet bruxellois (moules-frites) but waterzooi would be fine too.

What are the other nations? I'm not into soccer at all.

[John Talbott]

What are the other nations? I'm not into soccer at all.

←

ANG

ARG

AUS

BRA

CRC

CIV

CRO

CZE

ECU

ENG

FRA

GER

GHA

IRN

ITA

JPN

KOR

KSA

MEX

NED

PAR

POL

POR

SCG

ESP

SWE

SUI

TOG

TRI

TUN

UKR

USA

[Ed Ward]

We have Italy vs Ghana tonight. Pizza or spagetti are easy, but I haven't a clue for Ghana. Suggestions.

←

Groundnut stew! That's the Ghanian national dish. It's basically chicken in a peanut sauce, or, rather, chicken and peanuts are the only ingredients people agree on. Then you get vegetables, like okra, eggplant, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, regular potatoes... I used to have a killer recipe for it, too, but it's vanished over the years.

I'm sure there are some excellent recipes around...somewhere.

[bethesdabakers]

Fai Jackson said:

I'm with you. But I am lucky enough to live in an ethnically diverse city. At least, it's lucky any time but world cup. Here in Toronto, every car,but mine, is bedecked with a national flags, everything from Portugul to Trinadad/Tobago etc. etc.

Ethnically diverse here it ain't (North Wales). After weeks of St George's Cross flags (England) some locals flew one English/one Welsh flag on their cars, while those really making a point just flew the Welsh dragon (Wales not having made the draw). Me, I don't even have a car.

Todays anti-world cup food, bara planc - Welsh skillet bread -for those knocked out before the Germany trip:

Mick

[srhcb]

Did Serbia beat The Netherlands?

SB (trying to decide what to eat)

[Pontormo]

Since no one has posted this most relevant article, click to read what Joe Heim reported in The Washington Post on June 4 when diplomats were asked what they eat while watching the games and who will win.

Meanwhile, Italy won this afternoon, so eat something from Lombardia to salute Andrea Pirlo whose hometown is Brescia. Risotto, maybe?

The Czech Repubic trumped the US, so hearty soup? Beer?

[John Talbott]

Did Serbia beat The Netherlands?

SB (trying to decide what to eat)

←

To keep on topic, it was Gouda/Rijsttafel 1 - Burek/Ajvar 0. Robben consumes all.

[srhcb]

Did Serbia beat The Netherlands?

SB (trying to decide what to eat)

←

To keep on topic, it was Gouda/Rijsttafel 1 - Burek/Ajvar 0. Robben consumes all.

←

Thanks! The only Dutch product I have on hand is some salty licorice.

SB (has a Serb Cousin who's married to a Dutch guy)

[DCMark]

After that pathetic showing by Arena's squad, I just ate a fucking crow.