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With the biggest tournament in world football kicking off imminently, we thought we would combine it with one of our other favourite topics here at GoJoe – food.
No doubt we’ve all seen the fairly depressing £9 Greek salad from the Qatar Fan Zone doing the rounds on social media… 😬 (and if you haven’t… feast your eyes here)
But let’s not dwell on that disappointment. Without further ado; introducing the GoJoe Guide to The Food World Cup – join us as we take a look at each qualifying country and what exactly their national culinary dish of choice is. Some genuine surprises in here 👀 which ones have you tried?
Qatar
Majboos - either lamb or chicken, slow-cooked to give it a depth of flavour. Served on a bed of seasoned rice accompanied by salad (but hopefully not the aforementioned greek one) and homemade tomato sauce.
Ecuador
Bolon de Verde - resembles a baseball-sized ball of dough. The outer layers are made of mashed green plantains, while the inside contains pork (or other meat) or cheese.
Senegal
Thiéboudienne - a fish-and-rice specialty that originated in the former French colonial capital of Saint-Louis. Apparently, it does require some elaborate preparation so isn’t everyday fare - shame.
Netherlands
Stamppot - a hearty dish made of mashed potato, vegetables, and smoked sausages such as Dutch Rookworst, Spanish Chorizo, or Polish Kielbasa. Sounds like bubble and squeak to us.
England
Some debate here but it would appear that Roast Beef, Fish & Chips and Chicken Tikka Masala are battling it out to be England’s national dish. We promise to sample all three this week and report back.
Iran
Khoresh-e ghormeh sabzi - a tangy and citrusy slow-cooked stew made with herbs, red kidney beans and lamb chunks.
USA
Hamburger - as we all know, a popular sandwich made of a bun/bread rolls stuffed with veggies, sauces, cheese and most importantly the beef patties.
Wales
Cawl - dating back to the 11th century, originally a simple broth of meat (usually bacon) and vegetables, cooked slowly over the course of the day whilst the family was out working the fields. We wonder if Gareth Bale will be choosing Cawl or Burger for his match day meal.
Argentina
Asados - a variety of barbecued meat grilled on a large grill that is packed with steaks; ribs; chorizo; mollejas (sweetbread), chinchulines (chitterlings) and morcilla (bloodsausage). ALL the steak - Argentina, we salute you.
Saudi Arabia
Al Kabsa - a fragrantly spiced rice and chicken dish, served on a communal platter with cucumber, carrot, lettuce, tomato and lime. Usually accompanied by a hot sauce called shattah.
Mexico
Mole - not the animal, but actually a sauce made from onion, garlic and lots of spice & herbs, chilli’s and the secret ingredient…..dark chocolate. Served on lots of different things. An interesting combo from El tri.
Poland
Bigos Stew - can be made with any kind of meat from pork to rabbit or venison, but should always have spicy Polish sausage, apparently.
France
Pot-au-Feu - a classic savoury comfort dish – (essentially a beef stew) prepared using stewed meats and vegetables. The one to beat.
Australia
Roast Lamb is considered to be the Australian national dish. We did not see that one coming, Socceroos.
Denmark
Stegt Flæsk - fried pork with parsley sauce and potatoes. Pieces of pork meat seasoned with salt and pepper are fried until crisp, then served with potatoes and parsley sauce.
Tunisia
Cous Cous - Tunisian couscous is dissimilar to other couscous dishes as it contains semolina. Either eaten alone, or paired with beef and vegetable broth.
Spain
Paella – the popular Spanish rice dish that includes meat, vegetables, and seafood. Saffron is also typically one of the main ingredients and traditionally gives the famous yellow hue. We bet Pedri and Gavi love it.
Costa Rica
Gallo Pinto - a dish of black beans and rice with onions and coriander. Traditionally served for breakfast, with fried eggs or scrambled eggs, tortillas and sour cream. A yes from us.
Japan
Karē Raisu - curry, rice, vegetables and meat…but not as we know it. The Japanese version is much less spicy and more delicate/sweet.
Germany
Sauerbraten - usually, a slice of horse meat, beef, or venison, marinated in vinegar, spices, and wine mixture. Traditionally served along with potato dumplings, boiled potatoes, and red cabbage. Two types of potato – bravo Germany 👏🏽
Belgium
Moules - each pan of steaming mussels is served with a helping of obligatory chunky frites. Traditionally sent out mariniere-style, with cream, parsley and a splash of white wine, there's also a version with beer marinade, so we are told.
Canada
Poutine - a fantastic combination of chips, flavourful gravy and cheese curds, described as a a hearty dish. Indulgent comfort food at its best.
Morocco
Cous Cous - a second appearance for the fine wheat pasta, which is traditionally rolled by hand is normally served with meat, vegetables and sauce, although traditionally it’s sometimes combined with raisins and buttermilk.
Croatia
Istrian Yota - a popular stew, made from dried beans and smoked meats like pancetta and spare ribs. Seasoned with a lot of garlic and sauerkraut.
Brazil
Feijoada - a black bean stew brewed with a variety of salted and smoked pork and beef products from carne-seca to smoked pork spareribs. The more traditional feijoada also includes cuts such as pig's ears, feet and tails, and beef tongue 😧 …we’ll take the modern version please.
Serbia
Sarma - cabbage rolls stuffed either with minced meat or rice, the latter suitable for those who avoid eating meat or are observing fast days. In the winter it is made of sauerkraut, in summer it is made of vine leaves or any similar edible green leaves.
Switzerland
Raclette/ Fondue - now this one we did get right. Big vats of gooey melted cheese, eaten with bread / potatoes to dip in. Communal sharing at the heart of the experience. Bliss.
Cameron
Ndolé - a dish consisting of stewed nuts, ndoleh (bitter leaves indigenous to West Africa), and fish or beef.
Portugal
Bacalhau - dried, salted cod. There are more than 365 different ways to cook bacalhau, and the Portuguese love it.
Ghana
Fufu - a starchy side dish, made from cassava and plantain and an important accompaniment to various stews and sauce-based dishes.
Uruguay
Chivito - a thin slice of tender cooked beefsteak (churrasco),with mozzarella, ham, tomatoes, mayonnaise and black or green olives, and commonly also bacon and fried or hard-boiled eggs, served as a sandwich in a bun, often accompanied by French-fried potatoes. Sounds chaotic but incredible 😱
Korean Republic
Kimchi - a fermented side dish made of vegetables and seasonings. Hundreds of different versions of the dish are known throughout the world, but most commonly, it is made with chinese cabbage, radish, spring onion or cucumber. Great for gut health.
Let us know which of these delights you’ve tried! Perhaps you can try and recreate a few of these at home over the course of the World Cup to really get into the spirit of things.
Disclaimer: we heavily relied on the internet for this research so don’t shoot the messenger if your favourite national dish isn’t included or we’ve got them wrong 😆 now where’s our passports…we’re off to Uruguay to hunt out some Chivito.
Enjoy the games!
