Beer vs Beer, Dish vs Dish ~ it’s the second round of my culinary world cup.

Well, how are you going with the World Cup 2010?

Are you one of the sleep deprived who sets the alarm for ungodly hours to watch each game? Or are you like me, and once your team is out, you are content with the highlights package, watching Santo, Sam and Ed’s Cup Fever and perusing the reportage in the media?  Maybe you have completely ignored the (apparently contentious) round ball and focused instead on the important things like food and the national dishes and beers of the countries that you would most like to consume.

Whatever you have been doing, we are now up to the second round of my culinary world cup.  As with the world game, it is sudden death and only four dishes and beers will make it through to the quarter finals.  It doesn’t matter if you haven’t voted previously, you can join in at any time.

Results from the group stage in both Cups have been mixed – some countries have been clear winners, others have seen hot competition.  Here is how it has panned out and the ‘matches’ to vote in this time around:

Match One

South Africa

Beer: Castle Lager
Notes: Likened to Australia’s VB Castle Lager is faring better here than the host nation did in the Group stage.  If nothing else South Africa has left its mark on the World Cup through the introduction to the billions of us watching of the vuvuzela.  There is now a vuvuzela iPhone app, a song (look for it on iTunes) and a button on You Tube.

National Dish: Bobotie
Notes: This Cape Malay dish is a pleasingly spiced, slightly sweet dish with a very light curry flavour.  No self respecting South African housewife would be without a recipe for this traditional dish.   I have had Bobotie at Rusk, a restaurant in Melbourne run by ex-pat South African Lance Rosen, and thoroughly enjoyed it.  Lance is putting on a special World Cup Dinner on July 10th featuring South African dishes. Maybe he’ll include this.

Nigeria

Beer: Star
Notes: This was the first beer ever brewed in Nigeria and proud of it’s achievements.  So much so that they are listed on the website:  STAR was there when Nigeria celebrated its independence in 1960.  STAR was there when Nigeria hosted and won the African Cup of Nations in 1980. STAR was there when Nigeria won its first Olympic gold medal in football in 1996.  STAR was there for us to celebrate the first African-American President in 2009.  Will it be there for the Culinary World Cup quarter finals?

National Dish: Isu – spiced boiled yams
Notes: In Nigeria yams are eaten in place of potatoes and are an important part of the diet.  Here they are cooked with cayenne pepper, garlic and cinnamon.

Match Two

Slovenia

Beer: Lasko Pivo

Notes: Big beer rivalry in Slovenia between Lasko and Union.  From what I have read loyalty for one’s beer is akin to supporting an AFL team in Australia, a baseball team in the USA or your soccer team in the UK.  Beware the fool who orders a Union in a Lasko pub!  I loved a review of Lasko that described it as “kick ass and so smooth” so I have jumped on its bandwagon.

National Dish: Ajdovi zganci

Notes: Far easier to identify this, than to pronounce it.  It is similar to polenta and has very simple ingredients – buckwheat flour, water, salt, cracklings and oil or grease.  It can be served at any meal, boiled for brekkie or lunch, or toasted for dinner.

Ghana

Beer: Gulder Lager

Notes: The African beer market is a bit hard to sort out.  I discovered that Nigeria brew virtually the same beers as Ghana and several other countries.  Anyway, this is a euro style pale lager that most people think is drinkable but a bit of a non-event.  Far more interesting is the reality TV show that Gulder is the naming sponsor for, “Gulder Ultimate Search”.  Based on the fable of the Horn of Valour, a group of contestants follow the hunters’ trail to find a magnificently crafted golden horn.

National Dish: Hkatenkwan – Groundnut Stew

Notes: Also called groundnut chop.  Groundnut is the popular African word for peanut.  Here peanut butter is mixed with chicken, onions, carrots, hot peppers and rice to make this crowd pleasing dish

Match Three

Australia

Beer: Coopers Sparkling

Notes: Still Australian owned (thank god), these handcrafted beers have been made in South Australia since 1862 when Thomas Cooper made a batch of beer as a tonic for his sick wife.  Hard to go past, but if you need further reason to agree with this choice – just go and taste one. The famous “Cloudy but fine” add campaign for Coopers Sparkling Ale rings true as you your pour this beer into your glass.  The traditional Coopers top fermenting and secondary fermenting technique is apparent with the cloudy appearance and the yeast sediment that rains down like snow.  Sparkling begins with a solid head and a full bodied flavour with fruity undertones and finishes with a soft effervescent malty taste.

National Dish: Vegemite on toast

Notes: For those unfamiliar with Vegemite, it is a spread made from yeast products.  It has a unique and acquired taste and has been a part of Australian life (and your morning toast) for 88 years.  According to the vegemite website how you like your vegemite is a very personal choice:  There is the Streaker – just a couple of light streaks on the toast, The Nudist – no butter, no marg just vegemite, The Edger – always particular they spread it evenly right to the very edge of there toast, and The Vegecadoer – they adorn their vegemited toast with slivers of avocado.

England

Beer: Tetley’s
Notes: Carlsberg is the official sponsor of the English team, but it didn’t seem right to have a Danish brewer as my pick. So I have gone half way and chosen Tetley’s which started as an English brewery in Leeds in 1822 but is now owned by Carlsberg.  In 2006 Tetley’s sold 185 million pints of beer in pubs. This would fill 42 olympic-sized swimming pools.

National Dish: Roast Beef and Yorkshire Puddings
Notes: This selection is in tribute to the tradition of the Sunday roast. I love a good roast beef but have to admit that I am yet to have a Yorkshire pudding.  Inspired by resourcefulness, Yorkshire puddings used the dripping from the roasting meat to cook a batter made from egg, flour and milk and make a bread like accompaniment to the meal.

Match Four

Greece

Beer: Mythos

Notes: The first authentically Greek beer is a lager with a rich head, bright blonde colour and a pleasant refreshing taste. Drink the most famous Hellenic beer and ‘create your own “legend” ’ It gets a fairly good wrap from beer forums and reviews.

National Dish: Moussaka

Notes: Moussaka is a casserole made by layering eggplant with a spiced meat filling then topping it off with a creamy bechamel sauce that is baked to golden perfection. Some totally useless trivia – There was a movie released in 1999 called The Attack of the Giant Moussaka. In it the city of Athens is attacked by a terrifying giant moussaka accidentally produced when an ordinary serving of moussaka is hit by a ray sent by an alien space ship.

France

Beer: Kronenbourg 1664.

Notes: The premium beer  of Brasseries Kronenbourg brewers since 1664.  It is brewed with a unique hop blend including aromatic hops from Alsace.  Their website suggests it is “ideal for drinking on a terrace, as an aperitif or simply for the pleasure”

National Dish: Cassoulet (but there were a few contenders)

Notes: Cassoulet originated in the southwest of the country. The name comes from the word “cassolo,” which is an earthenware pot. The ‘Cassoulet de Castelnaudary’ is cooked with white beans, pure pork sausages (such as Toulouse sausages) and duck or goose confit.  There are many varieties of this classic dish. Whether it comes from Castelnaudary, Carcassonne or Toulouse the cassoulet must be simmered on top of the stove and then finished in the oven as a gratin.

Match Five

Japan

Beer: Sapporo
Notes: One of three major domestic brands in Japan (alongside Asahi and Kirin), Sapporo has its origins in the late 1800s when a German trained brewmaster made the first Sapporo lager for the then named Kaitakushi Brewery.  Today it is widely exported and if in Japan you can visit the Sapporo Beer Museum or do some shopping in the brewery owned shopping mall.  Have to love the Japanese.

National Dish: Sushi
Notes: Sushi is vinegared rice topped or mixed with various fresh ingredients, usually fish or sea food. It has become part of the everyday culture and diet of many western countries.  There are a few different types: Nigiri-zushi – This is sushi with the ingredients on top of a block of rice.  Maki-zushi – Translated as “roll sushi,” this is where rice and seafood or other ingredients are placed on a sheet of seaweed (nori) and rolled into a cylindrical shape on a bamboo mat and then cut into smaller pieces.  Temaki – Basically the same as makizushi, except that the nori is rolled into a cone-shape with the ingredients placed inside.  Chirashi – Translated as “scattered”, chirashi involves fresh sea food, vegetables or other ingredients being placed on top of sushi rice in a bowl or dish.

New Zealand

Beer: Steinlager

Notes: Steinlager has it’s own distinctive crisp and clean taste that has earned it international award winning status. It is known as the brand that personifies the unique attitude that makes NZ successful. Steinlager (or Steinecker as it was originally known) was first brewed in 1958 to circumvent the need for the importation of European beers.  It is a lager with a distinctive grassy note and clean crisp bitterness of green bullet hops. It is balanced with a dry, astringent finish.

National Dish: Pavlova

Notes: The dessert is believed to have been created in honour of Russian ballet dancer Anna Pavlova during or after one of her tours of Australia and New Zealand in the 1920s.  Research tips the balance in favour of it hailing from NZ.  Either way the iconic “pav” is a popular and important dish in both countries.  Made by whipping egg whites to a very stiff consistency then adding caster sugar, white vinegar and cornstarch you end up with a  crisp and crunchy shell and a soft marshmallow filling.  It is normally garnished with whipped cream and fresh fruit.  My mum makes a sensational one.

Match Six

Brazil

Beer: Brahma

Notes: Nearly 4 percent of all of Brazil’s beer, and by the way Brazil is the world’s fourth-largest beer market, is consumed during the four days around Carnival.  I wonder how much is drunk at the football?  Brahma has a very cool website that allows you to “draw” on it in time with the background music and Drumprovise where you can mix 8 turntables with your mouse.  A great example of “ginga” the Brasilian philosophy and approach to life fusing creativity and ingenuity.

National Dish: Feijoada

Notes: It is a hearty bean stew with rice and different cuts of pork. An ordinary family in Rio de Janeiro has feijoada at least once a month, as well as for special occasions such as Christmas, birthday dinners and Easter.  Because of the heavy consistence of the famous bean stew, Brazilians believe that drinking some caipirinha helps reduce the unhealthy effects. Otherwise, the only recommended activity after this culinary treat is a nap.

Switzerland

Beer: La Salamandre

Notes: Depending on where you are in Switzerland you can expect different influences from it’s neighbouring countries to come through and beer is no exception.  Brasserie Des Franches Montagnes (BFM) is a successful and very innovative microbrewery that puts a successful Swiss twist on beer styles originating in Belgium.  Absolutely great beers if you believe everything you read on the internet.  This one is a Belgian White (Witbier) beer.

National Dish: Fondue

Notes: Had to be fondue.  The turophile or chocoholic’s dream.  Classic cheese fondue is a mixture of molten emmental and gruyere cheeses mixed with white wine and Kirsch and eaten by skewering chunks of bread and dipping them into the gooey cheesy goodness.  The chocolate version is best enjoyed with strawberries.

Match Seven

Italy

Beer: Peroni

Notes: It is a crisp and refreshing lager – Italian style in a bottle (or so their marketing department would have you think) and has a close association with the current FIFA World Champions.  The name of the beer, Nastro Azzurro – “Blue Ribbon” comes from the prize that used to be given to the ship that crossed the Atlantic in the fastest time.  Carlo Peroni named his new beer after it in honour of the SS Rex the only Italian ship to have received this prestigious award, in 1933.

National Dish: Pasta

Notes: Nothing says Italy like its food, and nothing says Italian food like pasta. Wherever Italians have immigrated they have brought their pasta and so today it is basically an international staple.  It is estimated that Italians eat over 28 kilos of pasta per person annually.  Pasta is everywhere and can be dried (pasta secca) or fresh (pasta fresca) depending on what the recipe calls for.

Denmark

Beer: Carlsberg
Notes: It was brewed for the Danish Royal wedding in 2004 and voted best wedding beer at the Copenhagen Beer Festival in the same year.  Their tagline is “Probably the best beer in the world” and they recommend you serve your Carlsberg chilled, preferably with a friend or three by your side.  Sure, why not?

National Dish: Frikadelle
Notes: “Frikadelle” is an Old Danish national dish from 1648 and the first recipes of this delicious dish dates back to 1837.  Frikadelle are flat pan fried dumplings of minced meat, often likened to the Danish version of meatballs.  The meatballs are made of pure pork and served with potatoes, pickled beetroot, sour preserved cucumber and thick brown sauce.  As a people, the Danes eat the most pork in the world.  Each Dane eats almost 60 kg of tasty pork every year – and nearly 30 kg of beef – whilst each citizen in Denmark only eats 23 kg of poultry and fish.

Match Eight

Spain

Beer: Mahou

Notes: While Spain is without doubt a wine culture, if you look you can still find a cerveza that pulls its own weight.  Mahou.  Not only is it the official beer of Real Madrid, providing a worthy football link, it’s a beer served very cold which, as an Australian, I’m duty bound to love.

National Dish: Paella

Notes: It started in the fields of Valencia, where locals mixed rice with rabbit, snails and vegetables over an open fire and evolved into Spain’s most well known dish where fish, shellfish, meat, pork and/or chicken may be used.  Close runners up were jamon serrano and chorizo.  But traditionally it’s the men that make paella and I love a man that cooks.

Ivory Coast

Beer: Mamba

Notes: Despite being named after a snake, Mamba’s label actually features a large alligator. Technically a malt liquor, the beer is pretty venomous or has some bite depending on how you view it.

National Dish: Fufu

Notes: Fufu is a dish made from plantains, cassava, or yams pounded into a sticky dough and served with a seasoned meat and vegetable sauce called kedjenou. As with most meals in Côte d’Ivoire, it is typically eaten with the hands.  Just make sure you use the correct one for eating.