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So the World Cup is almost over….. Every Four years this wonderful tournament graces our Football loving world. A true celebration of national pride, culture & of course football.

In an attempt to embrace all that is great about World Cup South Africa 2010. A band of 4 brothers (well good friends) from the little known Industrial town of Rotherham, England, gathered in a living room to watch the opening 2 days of the first African Football World Cup unfold.

In honour of all 12 nations competing on those 2 days, I travelled the length & breath of England in search of Food & Drink which is specific & much loved in each of the competing nations.

Below is a little incite into how those 2 glorious days were celebrated in Rotherham & more importantly a Yorkshireman’s review of all the food & drinks sampled from each of the competing nations.

Enjoy….

The Menu

South Africa v Mexico

BBQ Boerewors with Sterk Blatjang & Biltong accompanied by Castle Lager Verses Homemade Mexican Chilli accompanied by Corona with lime.

Uruguay v France

BBQ Choripan accompanied by Quilmes Lager Verses Tarte Au Citron accompanied by Bordeaux Red Wine & Chablis White Wine.

South Korea v Greece

South Korean Kimchi accompanied by South Korean Rice Wine Verses Greek Salad accompanied by Ouzo

Argentina v Nigeria

BBQ Rump Steak accompanied by Quilmes Lager Verses Fried Plantain & Chin Chin accompanied by Star lager, Gulder & Palm drink.

England v USA

BBQ Cumberland Sausage accompanied by English Porter & Carling Lager Verses BBQ Mega Homemade Burger with Onion Rings accompanied by Budweiser.

SOUTH AFRICA:

CASTLE LAGER: The staple of South African beer was a welcome first beverage of the day; refreshing and crisp befitting the nice day it was. 7/10.

BILTONG: Great beer food; very much like beef jerky. But it does the job better than peanuts. I would like to start a campaign whereby all pubs in England have to stock Biltong by law. I call my campaign “The Biltong Writ” and I’m having talks with my friend Nick Clegg about it. 8/10

BOEREWERS SAUSAGE: Sausage is good. Sausage is great. I’ve never eaten a sausage i could say i hate. Enough crappy poetry, i thought the Boerewers was succulent and delicious and went particularly well with the BLATJANG CHUTNEY, which was very fruity and a perfect accompaniment. 7/10

 

MEXICO

HOMEMADE CHILLI: Very nice; just the right amount of jalapenos (no steam from the ears and shouts of “Agua! Agua!” here). Having the nachos under the chilli was a good idea; Deliciosa! However, I did spill some down my poncho. 8/10

CORONA AND LIME: I always have liked Corona – its very crisp and clean. However, its not my favourite Mexican beer; having said that not having tequila was a good thing, or we would probably have all passed out. 6/10

URUGUAY

CHORIPAN: I loved this! Can you get any better than a juicy, spicy chorizo in bread with a bit of salad and mayonnaise? I think not. Unfortunately the Uruguay strikers weren’t quite as much of a hit. 9/10

QUILMES: See Argentina’s entry.

FRANCAIS

LEMON TORTE: A very nice desert – the subtlety of the lemon and the firmness of the base added a certain French sophisitcation (or je ne sais quoi, if you like). If only Sidney Govou’s touch had been a little less subtle, Les Bleus might have actually been the victors. 6/10

WINE: I am not very au fait with wine; all i remember is that one was white and one was red. Despite this, i know what i like (and know what is rubbish from my days of bargain-basement drinking at university) and i do enjoy a drop of the good stuff, as should any bon vivant. The red i liked in particular – it seemed very berryy (is that a word? i doubt it). 7/10

SOUTH KOREA

KIMCHI: This hot and spicy cabbage dish was most enjoyable; it certainly had a punch. Very tasty (if a little salty, although i think its supposed to be) and rich in texture. The cabbage was lovely and juicily saturated with flavour. 7/10

SAKE: Preferred the sake warm; it goes down smoother. I think nice liquor always helps to cut through the heat of a particularly spicy dish, such as the kimchi. 7/10

GREECE

GREEK SALAD: Sometimes the simpler things in life are the best; such is the case with this. I love Feta cheese and i adore olives (and these were perfectly ripe) particularly. A nice summer dish, light and oozing with Hellenic character. 7/10

OUZO: Aniseed drinks are a winner to me and sipping ouzo has an unfailing ability to transport me to a beach on Crete. Not literally, of course. That would be ridiculous, but would definitely save me money on air travel. Yamas! 8/10

 

ARGENTINA

STEAK: As synonymous with Argentina as Polo, Eva Peron, Maradonna and the Falkland Islands, the steak is a classic. I deliberately ate my steak on its own, with no garnish or sauce to interfere with the natural flavour of the cut. I thought it was very tasty and succulent. 7/10

QUILMES: A nice lager, perfect for a summers day. Particularly in the massive litre bottles we were drinking it out of. Very suppable with a light, clean taste. 7/10

NIGERIA

STAR: Very refreshing and very easy to drink with a beery, hoppiness that was quite nice. 7/10

GULDER: Of the two Lagos-brewed ales, this one was more to my taste. A little richer and flavoursome. 8/10

PALM WINE: This was quite unlike anything i’ve ever tasted before. I couldn’t really compare it to anything else; it had its own flavour that initially was like white wine but which had a nice earthy (almost nutty) finish. 7/10

CHIN CHIN: Great beer food; i polished off a whole bowl to myself because i physically couldn’t stop myself. 8/10

FRIED PLANTAIN: Can’t really go wrong with fried plantain. I love it and think it is a great alternative to potato (which lets face it, gets pretty boring in this country). 7/10

 

 US of A

BOYGERS: The Beef boygers were delicious and complementing them with bacon and cheese is an idea i never tire of – in fact is it not one of the Ten Commandments? (Thou shalt marry any beefburger with cheese and bacon at any opportunity whence they be available? I might be paraphrasing slightly). 8/10

BUDWEISER: Bud is fine, but i must say it is not my favourite beer from the States. I also cannot award a positive mark due to the unresolved lawsuit between the american brewery and the original brewery in Ceske Budejovice concening the name of the beer.

5/10

MERRY OLD BLIGHTY

CUMBERLAND SAUSAGE: I love sausage, and this was delectable. However, it was marred by the fact that we were all becoming rather full from the gormandising excesses of the weekend; i also think the (obviously warranted) anxiety concerning the upcoming footy game was coming to the fore (or was it indigestion?). Would undoubtedly have got a better mark if i hadn’t been so full! 6/10

WESTHAVEN PORTER: Is that the name? Something porter. Lovely strong smoky flavours in this one, a proper porter. I love my stouts and porters and this was a very good example. It was a shame the accompanying match wasn’t so lovely; in fact it looked as though Robert Green might have enjoyed a few too many porters before the game! 8/10

 

By Steve and Friends from Rotherham, England