Counting down to Brazil

Are you excited as I am about the upcoming world cup finals? I hope you are – it’s just too much fun supporting your team, and then your B-team, and then Spain, just to be on the safe side…

To be prepared for it I thought I might suggest a challenge to all football (or soccer) fans out there: to find a dish, a snack or a drink to represent each of the participating countries, from Algeria to Uruguay, via Korea, Bosnia and Costa Rica.

In order to qualify you simply need to reply to this blog, stating clearly which country you would like to represent and why you chose this particular dish or drink, followed by a link to your own blog or by the recipe. Cameroon, Ghana and Honduras, we need you!

To kick this off I present you with the only Brazilian recipe I know: a caipirinha. Original it ain’t, but what better to get us started than a dash of lime.

Caipirinha (serves 2):

• 2 limes
• 50ml cachaça
• 3-4 tsp cane sugar
• crushed ice

Quarter the limes and press them lightly, collecting the juices. Cut the quarters into thick wedges and add them, together with the sugar, to the juice. Mix well, then add the ice and the cachaça. Stir well before serving.

Now, how do you say cheers in Brazilian?

And here are the qualifying teams:

Group A:

Brazil: Coxinhas, a type of salgado, or snack.

Croatia: Slivovitz

Mexico: Frijoles Charros

Cameroon: Chicken ‘Directeur Général’

Group B:

Spain: I thought I had more time…Vino de Verano perhaps?

Holland: I’m going Dutch: they make the Stroopwafels, I eat them.

Chile: Chacarero Sandwich

Australia: Radler…sorry!

Group C:

Colombia: Arepas with Pulled Beef

Greece: Greek Salad anyone?

Ivory Coast: a cocoa feature

Japan: Miso Soup

Group D:

Uruguay: A bite to eat, Uruguayan style: Postre Chajá

Costa Rica: Gallo Pinto

England: Elderflower Cordial

Italy: Marinated Peppers or Risotto?

Group E:

Switzerland: Geschnetzeltes Züricher Art (what’s that in English?!)

Ecuador: Chicha de Piña

France: Kouglof

Honduras: hmmm. Let’s hope they get to the next round, to give me some time…eureka! Chimol!

Group F:

Argentina: not beef. Alfajor Rogel, anyone?

Bosnia: something lovely with spinach and feta cheese: Zeljanica

Iran: will I get away with a restaurant review? No. Rice. Chelo rice, to be precise.

Nigeria: Puff Puff, you bet

Group G:

Germany: sausages, what else?

Portugal: Pasteis de Nata

Ghana: I’m cheating with this one. Big time.

U.S.A.: Brownies

Group H:

Belgium: Chips

Algeria: Lamb Tagine

Russia: Russian Salad. Fair enough, it’s Spanish, really.

South Korea: Pulgogi, Korean barbecue.