Ever since reading an article in Total Football - which must place it ahead of the 1998 WC - about national-themed evenings during the WC I've wanted to do it. Various reasons, still living at home, inability to cook, work... always prevented me from doing it. Work again this time will get in the way but somehow I managed to convince my wife to do it anyway over the months leading up to the WC. It's not the same as doing it on the night and then supporting the team in their match while listening to the national music hero and following it up with a screening of an appropriate film, but its something and hopefully at least one step up the ladder from the inevitable Sun newspaper World Cup of Lager pullout... We've got through a few already and tonight is set for Switzerland. It has also been pointed out by a friend that there seems to be something of a voodoo element as shortly after each dinner someone of relative note for each country has died... She's doing a blog on it - worldcupdinners.blogspot.fr - and I've set up a Twitter@worldcupdinners Any ideas for some of the more obscure nations are very much welcomed.
I like it! My own act of World Cup related geekery is to try and buy beers from as many of the competing nations as possible so that I can drink them while watching those teams in action. It's not possible to find beer for all 32 of them sadly but I do my best. Then to take it a step further I can decide who I think should win based on who has produced the best beer. Needless to say I'm rather pleased that Belgium have made it to the 2014 World Cup
On this theme I noticed a Beer World Cup book on Amazon kindle - details of the beers from the 32 countries... http://www.amazon.com/Beer-World-Cup-Lovers-Drinking-ebook/dp/B00IVN9TL4
@Hideo (and others) ... which Belgian beer will you get? I'd go for one of the "Trappist" beers ... "Westvleteren XII" from the "Sint Sixtus" abbey has often received plaudits but is very hard to get: http://in.reuters.com/article/2014/04/04/belgium-beer-trappists-idINDEEA3304T20140404 Westmalle tripel, Orval and Chimay blue might be easier to get your hands on ... Rochefort 10 is also worth the extra effort. More beers: http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/struise-pannepot/37835/ http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/st-bernardus-abt-12/2530/ http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/malheur-12/11337/ http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/rodenbach-caractere-rouge/158126/ http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/lindemans-kriek-cuvee-rene/72448/ http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/tripel-karmeliet/5368/ http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/la-chouffe/1614/ http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/leffe-blonde/2514/ http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/duvel/1434/ The latter ones might be easier to get than those on top of this very incomplete list.
Very nice idea. I wish I had as much energy to do something similar... but I guess I'll just settle for the usual finger food and/or pizza with beer while I watch the Cup with friends. Anyway, you and your wife are to be commended for these really cool dinners, and for the idea of sharing them by posting the report and pictures on a blog. Cool!
Can people add to the list here please? I would like to see some recipes from all around the world since the blog seems to be limited.
Brazilian-themed dinner, of course, would have to focus on the so-called "national dish", that is, feijoada, a black bean-pork stew (quite delicious, I've had it many times). Ingredients 1 pound black beans, dried - not from a tin 1 pound salted pork ribs 1 pound salted bacon 8 tablespoons olive oil 2 onions, peeled and finely chopped 6 cloves garlic, peeled, finely chopped 2 large smoked sausages, cut into big chunks 1 pound smoked pork ribs, cut into pieces 1 pound smoked bacon, cut into chunks 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper 5 bay leaves Cooked rice, orange slices, spring greens, as accompaniment Directions Soak the beans in cold water overnight, making sure they are completely covered. Also soak the salted ribs and bacon in cold water overnight. Drain the beans and put them into a large saucepan of cold water. Bring to the boil over medium heat, then simmer for 30 minutes until tender. Rinse the soaked salted ribs and bacon well, add to the beans and cook for 30 minutes over a medium heat. Heat a very large saucepan and pour in the olive oil so it covers the bottom. Add the onions and garlic and cook until softened. Add the sausages, smoked ribs and bacon, pepper and bay leaves. Pour in the cooked beans and meat and top up with water. Simmer for about 1 hour, until the meat falls off the bone. Serve the Feijoada with boiled white rice, slices of orange, and very finely sliced spring greens fried in olive oil with finely chopped onion and garlic. -------- The national cocktail that goes with it is Caipirinha. That's lime juice, cachaça (Brazilian-style sugar cane white brandy), sugar, and ice. 1/2 a lime, quartered; 2 and 1/2 ounces of cachaça, 1 teaspoon of white sugar, a cup of ice. -------- This is such a complete and fairly heavy meal, that it doesn't require appetizers. If you want them, though, I'd suggest pão de queijo (cheese buns). How to Make Pão de Queijo (Brazilian Cheese Bread) Makes approximately 2 dozen puffs What You Need Ingredients 1 cup whole milk 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1 teaspoon salt 2 cups (10 ounces) tapioca flour or sour cassava flour 2 eggs 1 - 1 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese Equipment 2-quart saucepan Long-handled spoon Standing mixer with paddle attachment (or mixing bowl and elbow grease) Instructions Preheat the oven to 450°F. Line a baking pan with parchment and set aside. 1. Boil the Milk and Oil: Combine the milk, oil, and salt in the saucepan, and whisking occasionally, bring it to a gentle boil over medium heat. Remove from heat as soon as you see big bubbles coming through the milk. 2. Add the Tapioca Flour: Add all of the tapioca flour to the saucepan and stir until you see no more dry tapioca flour. The dough will be grainy and gelatinous at this point. 3. Cool the Dough: Transfer the dough to the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. (Alternatively, you can do the next few steps by hand. Be prepared for a work-out.) Beat the dough for a few minutes at medium speed until it smooths out and has cooled enough that you can hold your finger against the dough for several seconds. 4. Beat in the Eggs: Whisk the eggs together in a small bowl. With the mixer on medium, beat the eggs into the dough in two additions. Wait until the first addition has been fully incorporated into the dough before adding the second. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. 5. Beat in the Cheese: With the mixer on medium, beat in the cheese until fully incorporated. The resulting dough will be very sticky, stretchy, and soft with a consistency between cake batter and cooke dough. 6. Portion the Puffs: Using an ice cream scoop, a tablespoon measure, or a dinner spoon, scoop rounded portions of the dough into mounds on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Space the mounds an inch or two apart. Dip your scoop in water to prevent sticking. 7. Bake the Puffs: Transfer the sheet with the puffs to the oven and immediately turn down the heat to 350°F. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the puffs have puffed, the outsides are dry, and they are just starting to color. Cool briefly and eat. Leftover puffs can be kept in an airtight container for up to a week and re-crisped in a warm oven or toaster oven. Note: Finding Tapioca Flour: Sour cassava flour or sour tapioca flour can be tricky to find in the United States. Look for it at Latin American markets. Plain tapioca flour lacks the slight sour, fermented flavor, but makes a fine substitute. You can find plain tapioca flour from Bob's Red Mill at most natural foods stores. ---------- Desert: Brigadeiro 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa 1 tablespoon butter 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk chocolate sprinkles In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine cocoa, butter and condensed milk. Cook, stirring, until thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let rest until cool enough to handle. Form into small balls, roll them on the sprinkles, and chill until serving.
I've got some Delirium Tremens from my local specialist beer shop - delicious! I have some Kwak and Westmalle too, and a large bottle of La Chouffe. Duvel, Chimay and Leffe are easy to get hold of, but my local shop has all sorts of Belgian beers that I'd not seen before. I bought a few but can't remember the names, however suffice to say the majority of them are quite strong...