Argentina - The 2010 FIFA World Cup Bites and Boozes

Argentina

Argentina got destroyed by Germany (who plays today in the third place match against Uruguay) to eliminate them from the World Cup, but I'm still finding time to feature the South American nation's bites and boozes! The cuisine of Argentina is distinctive in South America because of its strong resemblance to Spanish, Italian, French and other European cuisines rather than the other Latin American cuisines. Another determining factor in Argentine cuisine is that the country is one of the world's major food producers. It is a major producer of meat (especially beef), wheat, corn, milk, beans, and since the 1970s, soybeans. Given the country's vast production of beef, red meat is an especially common part of the Argentine diet. Similarly, the enormous quantities of domestically-harvested wheat have made white bread (made with wheat flour) the most commonly found on the table, the wheat-based Italian dishes popular, and Argentine pizza uses more dough than Italian pizza. While certain foods can be found in all corners of the country (Asado, or barbecued meat; dulce de leche; empanadas; and yerba maté; in addition to all sorts of Italian, Spanish, and French dishes) one can map out four broad culinary regions based on major trends.

An empanada is a bread or pastry. The name comes from the verb empanar, meaning to wrap or coat in bread. An empanada is made by folding a dough or bread patty around the stuffing. The stuffing can consist of many things such as meat or vegetables. In Argentina empanadas are normally small and semi-circular. Argentine empanadas are often served at parties as a starter or main course, or in festivals. Shops specialize in freshly made empanadas, with many flavors and fillings. The dough is usually of wheat flour and lard with fillings differing from province to province: in some it is mainly chicken in others beef (cubed or ground depending on the region), perhaps spiced with cumin and paprika, while others include onion, boiled egg, olives, or raisins. Empanadas can be baked (more common in restaurants and cities) or fried (more common in rural areas and at festivals). They may also contain ham, fish, humita (sweetcorn with white sauce) or spinach; a fruit filling is used to create a dessert empanada. Empanadas of the interior regions can be spiced with peppers. Many are eaten at celebrations. In restaurants where several types are served, a repulgue, or pattern, is added to the pastry fold. These patterns indicate the filling.

The Argentine wine industry is the fifth largest producer of wine in the world. Argentine wine, as with some aspects of Argentine cuisine, has its roots in Spain. During the Spanish colonization of the Americas, vine cuttings were brought to Santiago del Estero in 1557, and the cultivation of the grape and wine production stretched first to neighboring regions, and then to other parts of the country. The French brought Malbec, which now makes most of Argentina's best known wines. I do love a good bottle of Malbec! In the late 20th century, as the Argentine wine industry shifted it focus on premium wine production capable for export, Malbec arose to greater prominence and is today the most widely planted red grape variety. Malbec is a variety of purple grape used in making red wine. The grapes tend to have an inky dark color and robust tannins. Long known as one of the six grapes allowed in the blend of red Bordeaux wine, the French Malbec grapes are now celebrated as an Argentine varietal wine, and is being grown around the world.

For some information on Argentine beer, check the BR Beer Scene!

Thanks and Credits:
http://gasconwine.com/malbec-wines/argentine-malbec/ArgentineMalbec.html
http://www.fornobravo.com/forum/f25/empanadas-argentine-style-1280.html
http://thetastingcircle.wordpress.com/2009/05/20/may-2009-argentine-malbec/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argentine_cuisine
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empanadas
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argentine_(wine)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malbec

Italy - The 2010 FIFA World Cup Bites and Boozes

Italy

I made sure not to feature one classic dish from France as part of my World Cup tour, and I could certainly do the same for Italia.  Their cuisine is known and replicated throughout the world, yet never quite the same as when you actually eat it there, so I've heard. Italian cuisine has developed through centuries of social and political changes, with roots as far back as the 4th century BC. Italian cuisine in itself takes heavy influences from Etruscan, ancient Greek, ancient Roman, Byzantine, Germanic, Gaelic, Norman, Jewish and Arab cuisines. Significant changes occurred with the discovery of the New World with the introduction of items such as potatoes, tomatoes, bell peppers and maize, now central to the cuisine but not introduced in quantity until the 18th century. Italian cuisine is noted for its regional diversity, abundance of difference in taste, and is known to be one of the most popular in the world, with influences abroad.

Pizza and pasta are what first come to mind when Americans think of Italian fare, so I thought I'd look at something a tad bit different.  Minestrone is one of the cornerstones of Italian cuisine, and is just about as common as pasta on Italian tables. Minestrone (Italian: minestra [soup] + -one [augmentative suffix] hence "the big soup," the one with many ingredients) is the name for a variety of thick Italian soups made with vegetables, often with the addition of pasta or rice. Common ingredients include beans, onions, celery, carrots, stock, and tomatoes. There is no set recipe for minestrone, since it is usually made out of whatever vegetables are in season. It can be vegetarian, contain meat, or contain a meat-based broth (such as chicken stock). Angelo Pellegrini, however, argues that the base of minestrone is bean broth, and that Roman beans "are the beans to use for genuine minestrone."

Limoncello (or lemoncello) is an Italian lemon liqueur mainly produced in Southern Italy, mainly in the region around the Gulf of Naples, the Sorrentine Peninsula and the coast of Amalfi and islands of Procida, Ischia and Capri, but also in Sicily,Sardinia, Menton in France and the Maltese island of Gozo. Traditionally, it is made from the Sorrento lemon, though most lemons will produce satisfactory limoncello. Limoncello is traditionally served chilled as an after dinner digestivo. Along the Amalfi Coast, it is usually served in small ceramic glasses themselves often chilled, the Amalfi coast being a center of both ceramic and limoncello production. This tradition has been carried into other parts of Italy.

For some thoughts on Italian beer, check out the BR Beer Scene!

Thanks and Credits:
http://www.naturemoms.com/blog/2007/07/27/homemade-limoncello-recipe/
http://www.womansday.com/Recipes/Chicken-Minestrone-with-Pesto
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limoncello
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minestrone
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_cuisine

France - The 2010 FIFA World Cup Bites and Boozes

France

French cuisine is one of the most world-renowned food cultures on the planet.  While to some it may be one of the easiest World Cup tour posts to imagine, for me it is one of the most difficult to write.  What should I focus on?  Classic French culinary techniques?  Haute Cuisine?  Champagne, Cognac, Bordeaux? This is tough!  My real challenge here is to try to be creative and find something that isn't so obvious.  However, in doing my research, I realized that I ought not to focus on one dish, but rather offer a glimpse of what French food is really all about.

Camille Lepage wrote an article for Spiked Online in which she revealed why her country's food culture is still alive and well despite the immigration of "Le Big Mac."  In the article, Camille, a French woman, begins with a bit about the history of French cuisine before getting into the real meat of the article: why French food is far superior to that of the English. I found this paragraph to be particularly insightful: "... France remains at the heart of global food culture. It’s not all about what we eat, it’s also about the way we do it. Yes, we are fond of food itself, but we also crave the social aspect of eating. We pay a lot of attention to the way we eat, cook and how we share our meals. Lunch and dinner are sacred in France - they are particular moments of the day during which people talk and spend time together. In France, it’s rare to see a person on his or her own in a restaurant, and even rarer to see someone walking and eating at the same time in the streets, sights which are commonplace in the UK."  Camille goes on to say, "As a French person, my expectations towards food are high; after a year and half in England, I have never found a restaurant worthy of the name. Prices are lower here (England), but I’d rather pay more and have the quality I can find back home at any corner of any street. The British do not make food, they heat it. Most of the food you can find in restaurants in the UK has been frozen and is warmed up before being served on a plate."

HAHA... "the British don't make food, they heat it!"  I find that to be hilarious, and indeed also true of plenty of American cuisine.  In many ways we really are a "Fast Food Nation," afraid to slow down and care about what goes into our food or the process by which it is prepared.  We want instant food, ready for consumption with just a zap from a microwave or a quick stroll through a drive-thru window.  This is also, in my mind, what separates chefs from cooks in America. The vast majority of chain restaurants (and even locally owned establishments) have set menus that require no extra creativity or passion.  The employees simply cook the food that has been given to them in an often frozen and ultra-processed form.  If there is one thing that can be said about French food, it is that there is too much passion in the average citizen to let that kind of "heating" qualify as their national cuisine.  I say good for them.

And now for some adult beverages... There are plenty to choose from in France, but I found something other wine, champagne, cognac, and beer (for which you can check out the BR Beer Scene).

Pastis is the most popular aperitif in France. Aniseed flavoured aperitifs (Pastis is made with anise, licorice and other aromatic plants) were developped in South France (Marseille) after World War I, when Absinthe, an alcool that was considered as too dangerous, was forbidden. Paul Ricard launched in 1932 "the real Pastis from Marseille" and Pastis became popular all over France. Surprisingly, average Pastis consumption today is higher in Northern France regions that in South. Average price of a 1 liter bottle of Pastis in France is around 15 Euros ($14) and more than 80% of this price is in taxes. Famous Pastis brands are Ricard, Pernod, Pastis 51, Duval, Casanis and Berger.

Although many people, including in bars and cafes serve Pastis and then add water and ice, the "official" way is to put water first. 1 volume of Pastis for 5 volumes of water is the traditional proportion but if you want it more refreshing, you can add up to 10 volumes of water. Pastis is popular abroad and in some countries is served in a way that would horrify the French "purists". In France "le "perroquet" and "la tomate" are 2 famous Pastis cocktails : Un perroquet : pastis, mint sirup, water. Une tomate : pastis, grenadine sirup, water. Pastis is also used in several fish, meat or dessert recipes.

Thanks and Credits:
http://www.tokyoworklife.com/english_town/frenchdining.html
http://www.ffcook.com/pages/frenchdrinks.htm
http://www.frenchentree.com/france-provence-food-drink/DisplayArticle.asp?ID=17273

Portugal - The 2010 FIFA World Cup Bites and Boozes

Portugal

Portugal is one of the World Cup nations that I have actually been to so it's nice to be able to write about cuisine and beverages that I've actually consumed.  In the summer of 2006 I spent a week finding my way from Oporto (Porto) in the North all the way down to Faro on the South coast of Portugal.  The trip also included a little time in Coimbra, Lisboa (Lisbon), Cascais, and Fuseta along the way.  With a long Atlantic coastline, seafood clearly belonged as a major staple of Portuguese cuisine.  I recall eating grilled sardines that had just been pulled out of the ocean, among other fresh dishes.  Still, the food brings back the recurring dreams from my memory is the authentic Francesinha sandwich that I ate in Porto.  Oh, and don't forget the Port wine itself!

First, as an introduction to the famous Francesinha, I found this video to show you.  If it doesn't make your mouth water then perhaps you don't like sandwiches.  This is easily one of my top 10 sandwiches that I've ever had in my life and certainly belongs in the same discussion as the very best New Orleans Poboys and Darrell's Specials that I've eaten.

Our first Francesinha from Nando Cuca on Vimeo.

Francesinha (meaning Little Frenchie or simply Frenchie in Portuguese) is a Portuguese sandwich originally from Porto, made with bread, wet-cured ham, linguiça, fresh sausage like chipolata, steak or roast meat and covered with molten cheese and a hot thick tomato and beer sauce served with french fries.  Essentially it is a grilled sandwich that comes loaded with delicious meats and cheeses, then gets topped with more cheese that is melted all over it, and then smothered again with a house-specialty tomato-beer sauce.  It can also be topped with fried egg, just for that extra bit of ridiculousness.  I've seen very few more beautiful sights in the world.

I really had never tried Port until I visited Portugal.  After learning about the fortified wine, how the grapes are shipped down the Douro River to Porto, and how the caves serve has chambers for the wine before they are shipped, I decided that I should give it a try. Port is produced from grapes grown and processed in the demarcated Douro region. The wine produced is then fortified by the addition of a neutral grape spirit known as aguardente in order to stop the fermentation, leaving residual sugar in the wine, and to boost the alcohol content. The wine is then stored and aged, often in barrels stored in a cave before being bottled. The wine received its name, "Port", in the latter half of the 17th century from the seaport city of Porto at the mouth of the Douro River, where much of the product was brought to market or for export to other countries in Europe. The Douro valley where Port wine is produced was defined and established as a protected region, or appellation in 1756 — making it the third oldest defined and protected wine region in the world after Chianti (1716) and Tokaj (1730).

For some information on Portuguese beer, check the BR Beer Scene!

Thanks and Credits:

http://vimeo.com/9017753

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francesinha

http://laseriedemivida.wordpress.com/2007/10/30/1x22-mi-francesinha/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_wine

http://quevedoportwine.com/wine/some-great-port-wine-treasures-kept-secretly-in-american-private-cellarsalguns-tesouros-de-vinho-do-porto-guardados-nas-garrafeiras-dos-americanos/

South Korea - The 2010 FIFA World Cup Bites and Boozes

South Korea

This is final Asian post on Bite and Booze's World Cup tour so I thought I'd make sure to do it right. South Koreans feel strongly that food should be harmonized with natural spices and that balanced meals during the day are good for the health. Because of their agricultural background and Confucian tradition, Koreans place great importance on proper table settings and table etiquette, and they have special foods for different seasons and for seasonal festivals. A typical Korean meal called "pekpan" consists of rice, the staple of every Korean meal, soup and a great many side dishes, one of which is kimch'i. The sweet sticky rice accompanies every meal and may be plain or seasoned. Soup is also served a lot. Other dishes include seafood, meat or poultry,vegetables, herbs and roots. The food is arranged beautifully on the table, each person getting individual servings of all of the dishes, sometimes as many as 15-20. All of the dishes are served together and you help yourself from each dish using chopsticks or a spoon.

Because Korea has four distinct seasons, fresh vegetables are not always readily available, especially during the winter months. It is this reason that led to the development of kimch'i, which is without a doubt, the most famous of Korean cuisines. Kimch'i is a condiment that is served with every meal. It consists of a uniquely pungent mixture of fermented vegetables and its variations amount to roughly 80 kinds of dishes during any particular season. The fermentation of the different vegetables used, complemented by salted fish and other seasonings, gives it a unique flavor. Kimch'i can be preserved for a long time and was originally put in a clay pot and buried in the fall to allow it to ferment for use throughout the winter months. Its hot and spicy taste is said to stimulate the appetite. It is a nutritious dish, providing vitamins, lactic acid and minerals, otherwise lacking in the winter diet.

Soju is a distilled beverage native to Korea. Most brands of modern soju are made in South Korea. Though traditionally made from rice, most major brands supplement or even replace the rice with other starches such as potato, wheat, barley, sweet potato, or tapioca. Soju is clear in color and typically varies in alcohol content from about 20% to about 45% alcohol by volume (ABV), with 20% ABV being most common. Its taste is comparable to vodka, though often slightly sweeter because of the sugars added in the manufacturing process. It is widely consumed, in part, because of its relatively low price. A typical 300mL bottle of soju costs the consumer 1,000 to 3,000 South Korean Won (roughly $1 to $3 United States Dollars). Soju is usually drunk in group gatherings while eating, unmixed and portioned into individual shot glasses. It is against traditional custom in Korea to fill one's own glass. Instead, it must be filled by someone else at the table. This promotes a spirit of thoughtfulness and camaraderie.

For some thoughts on South Korean beer, or the lack thereof, visit the BR Beer Scene.

Thanks and Credits:

http://www.bishops.k12.nf.ca/janet/korfood.htm

http://www.asianinfo.org/asianinfo/korea/food.htm

http://bunnybreadsurprise.wordpress.com/2008/06/16/kimchi-yall/

http://geoffmartin.wordpress.com/2009/05/31/reflections-at-the-ten-month-mark/

http://s623.photobucket.com/albums/tt314/sdamboy/Yujah/?action=view&current=hyuri-soju.jpg&mediafilter=images

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soju