Food Bracket

UPDATE: BEFORE WE GET STARTED, TICKETS ARE BEING PRE-SOLD TONIGHT AT THE FACILITY FROM 7:30 TO 9. GET YOURS QUICK!

Now, on to business as usual.

Every country has a unique appetite, and have spent years using the ingredients at their disposal to perfect some signature dishes. Let's pit all the WCP Cup countries against each other in a food battle. All the country-specific foods will be seeded from 1-24. I'll rank the food items, and the battle will take place using votes.

Here's the seeding.

1. Back Bacon - Canada

It doesn't get much more Canadian than bacon sizzling in a frying pan. Maple bacon, I suppose. Has to be odds-on favorite to win. Not up to me though.

2. Perogies - Poland

If you've never had perogies, I feel so bad for you. Whatever the kind, always a favorite. I had cottage perogies the other day, and I might never go back.

3. Fettuccine Alfredo - Italy
Tough call with Italy...there's pizza, lasagna, all sorts of delicious dishes. In the end, I went with something a little different than the rest of the dishes. Pasta and creamy alfredo sauce is match made in Italian heaven.


4. Sticky Rice - Laos
Simple, but so good. If you ask Boun Phoummabout, he'll make you a whole pot because he wants everyone to know how good it is.

5. Souvlaki - Greece
Another tough call. Spanakopita, baklava, gyros...the list goes on. In an effort to keep it simple, we'll go with Souvlaki. Tough to beat the combo of Greek spices.


6. Spring Rolls - Vietnam
Spring rolls consist of pork, prawn, herbs, bún (rice vermicelli), and other ingredients wrapped in Vietnamese bánh tráng (rice paper). Absolutely delicious. Yikes, maybe this wasn't a good idea. I'm getting hungry.

7. Crêpes - France
Crepes are very thin pancakes, usually made from wheat flour, and served with a variety of fillings, from the most simple with only sugar to very elaborate savoury fillings. J'aime les crêpes plus qu'une pamplemousse ou les jambes d'une grenouille. That's french.

8. Sheperd's Pie - ROI
This is a meat pie with a crust of mashed potato. Corn makes an appearance in there somewhere.

9. Pupusa - El Salvador

 Pupusas are thick hand-made corn flour or rice flour tortillas stuffed with cheese, chicharrón (cooked pork meat ground to a paste consistency) and refried beans. Tell me that ain't good.

10. Curry Chicken - Jamaica

It's what it sounds like. If Kevin Holness has one weakness, it's this. Bring some curry chicken to a Jamaica game, and Kevin won't even pay attention to the game.

11. Irish Stew - Northern Ireland

Traditional stew from lamb or mutton.

12. Wiener Schnitzel - Germany

This dish is made with boneless meat thinned with a hammer, coated in bread crumbs, and fried.

13. Langos - Hungary

Deep fried flat bread made of a dough with flour, yeast, salt and water. If you attend Regina's Mosaic, stop by the Hungarian Pavilion and ask for Langos made specifically by Andrew Baulin. You won't be disappointed.

14. Kimchi - South Korea

Kimchi is fermented vegetable dishes usually made with napa cabbage, Korean radish, or sometimes cucumber, commonly fermented in a brine of ginger, garlic, scallions, and chili pepper.

15. Naan - Afghanistan
Literally "bread." But flavored! It's actually pretty good.

16. Sambuusa - Somalia 
A Somali version of the samosa. The Somali version is a mixture of maize, vegetables, meat, spices, which is then deep fried. All you need to see here is "deep fried."

17. Ajiaco - Colombia
A traditional Andean dish that originated from Bogotá. Basically it’s a chicken, corn, and potato stew with a hint of guasca. Mmmm guasca. Just thinking about it makes me salivate.

18. Chorba - Sudan
Thick soup made with vegetable and (most commonly) sheep parts. That it broadly says just "sheep parts" is my favorite part of the description.

19. Khlav Kalash - Serbia
Serve with crab juice, or Mountain Dew. Was most commonly sold at the World Trade Center. This entire post centers on my ability to included Khlav Kalash. Note: You can't watch the actual video on Youtube. Something something copyrights.

20. Grilled Cod - Portugal
The Portuguese rely heavily on fishing, hence a fish dish. Not many specialty dishes specifically for Portugal.

21. Suya - Nigeria
A meat kebab coated with ground groundnuts (peanuts) and chili pepper and other local spices. It is prepared barbecue style on a stick.

22. Fårikål - Norway
A traditional Norwegian dish, consisting of pieces of mutton with bone, cabbage, whole black pepper and a little wheat flour, cooked for several hours in a casserole, traditionally served with potatoes boiled in their jackets. Near last because of the way it's spelt.


23. Seswaa - Botswana
Traditional meat dish of Botswana, generally made of beef, although sometimes made of goat or lamb. The fatty meat is generally boiled until tender in large cast-iron pots, with large amounts of salt, and shredded or pounded.

24. Haggis - Scotland
Ever wondered what exactly Haggis is? It's a kind of savoury pudding containing sheep's pluck (heart, liver and lungs); minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and salt, mixed with stock, and traditionally encased in the animal's stomach and simmered for approximately three hours. Yummy!

There are your 24 teams, each with their specialty dish. Voting will commence tomorrow. Until then, try one of these enticing meals. Except Haggis.

Here's the bracket for the entire food tournament.