What can the England football team expect to eat in Brazil?

So with a convincing 2-0 defeat of Poland a few days ago, a surprisingly attacking looking England outfit samba their way into another World Cup finals. Well not quite. England rise from number 17 to 10 in FIFA’s world rankings, but despite this remain unseeded. So with a tough draw ahead, it’s not quite clear just how far the surprisingly in-form England team will progress.

However, one thing is for certain, no matter how the football goes, England fans are going to be welcomed with warm smiles and that legendary Brazilian party atmosphere.

However, what we at Chaat! are concerned with is not whether Andros Townsend’s recent performances in an England shirt have been enough to take him to the finals. Not who’s the latest player struggling with a metatarsal problem as they gear up for the cup? Not who’s the best left back, Baines or Cole? Not even whether the traditionally ill-fated Lampard/Gerrard partnership can finally work with the talismanic Jack Wiltshire involved? What we want to know is whether the Brazilians flair in football is matched in their food.

With a population of over 200 million and being a country that is exceptionally ethnically diverse, the cuisine of Brazil is incredibly rich and varied. Its cultural history sees indigenous recipes mixed with foods from the Portuguese colonisation, influences brought over with the African slave trade and a slew of other culinary influences from settlers as broad as the Italian, Spanish and Japanese.

Because of this the cuisine of the country is far from uniform and the tastes of the regions vary from region to region. The supposed national dish, however, is ‘Feijoada’. This tasty dish derives from ancient Portuguese recipes. Quite simply, it’s a big, hearty meat and bean stew. Most recipes blend black beans and salted meats of sorts (usually pork or beef) and vegetables like cabbage, kale or carrot. Traditionally, feijoada contains all parts of the pig, including parts such as tale, nose, and ears, although most recipes tend to leave this out these days. It is usually served with a side of rice.

So what of curry? The closest things the Brazilians have is the dish ‘xinxim de galinha’. The dish originates from Brazil’s past slave links to Africa and is commonly found in the north of the country. Xinxim combines a blend of thick tender chicken in rich sauce with dried shrimp, dried nuts and a yellow palm oil known as dendê. This again is usually served with rice, and a little spice can be added to the recipe to satisfy your cravings.

Unlike some of its South American counterparts, for instance Mexico with its regard for chilli, Brazil doesn’t have so much of a distinct culinary identity. It does however feature a fantastic array of very different dishes that take the best from each influence and mould them into an incredibly diverse array of delicacies.

So whether Roy and his boys succumb to Brazil’s samba, Germany’s efficiency, Spain’s tiki taka football or even finally emulate ’66, one things for sure, the food will be fantastic.