The Football Foodie World Cup: Group D – Serbia, Germany, Ghana and Australia

Oh, Adidas. As much as I loathe viral marketing campaigns and linking to ads that help build a brand that doesn’t put any dollars into my pocket, especially for large corporations, which are fun and silly and make you forget that your new pair of shoes were manufactured on a far away continent that is being destroyed.

So before we get to the video, some words from Adidas’ Lyn Ip about manufacturing in China from the Green Supply Chain Management Forum held this week in Hong Kong from Plastics News:

“Working with them on a partnership is a much better way than working on carrots and sticks,” said Lyn Ip, regional manager for social and environmental affairs in the company’s Asia Pacific office.”[Carrots and sticks] may work for a while but it’s not a sustainable way to work with the supply chain.”

Still, she said firms like Adidas have to be cautious that suppliers have the credentials they claim, like environmental management or other certifications.

“Let’s be honest, especially in China, certificates can be bought,” she told the conference. “They are placed in the conference room and look beautiful, but when you walk the factory floor, you can tell nothing has been done.”

In other areas, she said Adidas is interested in working with suppliers on developing new materials and said the company is exploring using recycled polyester and plant-based polylactic acid-based fabrics in its products to help them be more sustainable.

Now that we’ve gotten that little reminder out of the way, it is totally awesome that they put the little World Cup banners up in Star Wars’ Cantina scene.

Today, Group D – Serbia, Germany, Ghana and Australia in The Football Foodie World Cup. Don’t be fooled, this group is tougher than it appears to be at first glance.

Serbia – Ćevapčići

These oblong sausages are made from a mixture of beef, lamb and onion, spiced with sweet Hungarian paprika and served with pita and cooked onions. (Pork can be used in place of the lamb if desired. Since one of next week’s contenders is also a beef and lamb mixture, I chose lamb for this batch of ćevapčići.) Ćevapčići comes from the time of the Ottoman Empire’s rule over the region and share a similar taste profile to a kabob.  Excellent for serving to a large group.

Quick fact about the Serbian team you need to know so you don’t look like an idiot this summer:

This is the first time Serbia is competing in the World Cup as an independent nation. They performed very well in the qualifiers and could move on to the second round.

Exotic Serbian food that the rest of us would probably toss:

Serbia is home to a Testicle Championship Cook-off.

Other awesome Serbian snack:

Ćvarci, which is known in the Southern US as cracklins.

Germany – Wurst

Bratwurst, knackwurst, weissewurst, bierwurst, bockwurst, wurst, wurst, wurst. Wurst mit Senf und ohne Sauerkraut. Ich weiß nicht, wie Sauerkraut, aber ich mag Bier.

Quick fact about the German team you need to know so you don’t look like an idiot this summer:

Germany is always considered one of the favorites to win the World Cup, (they came in third in ’06 when they hosted), and have an unbelievably strong developmental league. Some of the most hardcore football fans in the world can be found in Germany. (Which is why nobody likes them.)

Exotic German food that the rest of us would probably toss:

Germans do not like ice in their drinks and think Americans are crazy for their ice habits. As was covered in the 14 Days of Super Bowl Recipes, I am obsessed with ice, so the idea of always having warm drinks makes me batty.

Other awesome German snack:

Pretzels.  And the Georg Schneider Wiesen Edel-Weisse beer on the left? One of my favorite beers ever.

Ghana – Groundnut toffee.

Like most of tropical West African nations, Ghanaians eat a lot of stews, fish, crawfish, plantains, yams (which are starchier than yams you get here in the States), cassava and groundnuts.

Groundnuts (or peanuts), can be made in to a simple toffee by melting sugar over heat, adding a bit of butter, and then folding in peanuts. Perfect, filling, football food.

Quick fact about the Ghanaian team you need to know so you don’t look like an idiot this summer:

2006 was Ghana’s first appearance in the World Cup in Germany where they were the only African team to make it to the Round of 16.

Exotic Ghana food that the rest of us would probably toss:

Nothing really, other than you would not want to eat fufu (a dough made of cassava and yams meant for dipping) without the stew or soup to go with it.

Other awesome Ghanaian snack:

Chinchinga, or a kebab.

Australia – Violet Crumble

Violent Crumble is this strange Aussie candy bar that has a crunchy honeycomb center. I love them because my husband hates them which means if I buy one and leave it in the pantry for a few days it won’t magically disappear on me.

In case any Australians are offended by the selection of just a candy bar for their country, it’s not meant as a slight. It’s just that I had already assigned the foods you also snack on to the US, England, and New Zealand. Plus, Violet Crumbles are very, very good.

Quick fact about the Australian team you need to know so you don’t look like an idiot this summer:

The Australians have the best nickname in the World Cup, The Socceroos.

Exotic Australia food that the rest of us would probably toss:

Witchetty grubs. Supposedly witchetty grubs taste similar to lobster (which I already consider giant water bugs), and can be found in high-end Australian restaurants as well as the bush.

Or Vegemite.  I think I’d prefer a grub to Vegemite.

Other awesome Australian snack:

Sausage rolls. Ground sausage (and sometimes some vegetables) rolled in puff pastry and baked.

Voting and comments:

Big thanks to my ShareSister and blogging Wonder Wonder Woman of Yahoo! Maggie Hendricks who suggested the ćevapčići recipe for Serbia.

Group C – England (Beans on Toast), Algeria (Sweet Dates), United States (Hamburger) and Slovenia (Sirovi štruklji)

Group B – Argentina (Choripán), Nigeria (Chinchin), South Korea (Soju) and Greece (Saganaki)

Group A – France (Jambon-Beurre), South Africa (Bunny Chow), Uruguay (Chivito) and Mexico (Agua Fresca)