The big football tournament is upon us, even though it’s a year late! So, we at OMGFoodMalta are not asking ourselves just who will win Euro2020, but also who has the best food type and which nation will win according to it!
The COVID-19 pandemic was the reason that the European Football Championships were not held in 2020. Instead the championships were postponed to start Friday 11th June 2021, though still called Euro2020. Although France is expected to take the win home, the games can go either way. Anything is possible. Everyone has their favourites so we decided to make a fun food game out of it!
Here on the Maltese islands we are blessed with a variety of food types, coming from different countries. Admittedly, we have tasted most, if not all, of them. We give you our top 7 countries to do well in Euro2020, based on their cuisine. It’s just a bit of fun!
France
Platini. Zidane. Henry. Mbappe. Like in football, French food is known around the world for it’s finesse and class. Just like their World Cup winning team in 1998, French cuisine was often the envy of the world, with the French regarding their cuisine as the best in the world.
French cuisine is so highly regarded around the world that in 2010 UNESCO added it to its list of intangible cultural heritage. For many, eating French means having baguettes, cheese and wine, but of course there’s much more to it than that. It would be as if saying the national team can win with just three players! Onion soup? Cassoulet? Ratatouille? Not to mention legendary chefs such as Alain Ducasse.
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French food relies on the combination of rich and natural flavors that come together to create incredible dishes. We had an idea of this when we visited Under Grain at Rosselli AX Privilege, the menu of which is very much influenced by French cuisine.
As for their chances for Euro2020, just like their cuisine, the French team is one of the best in the world, and will be for sure one of the main protagonists!
OMGFoodMalta Prediction: Semi Finalists
England
When we think of England and football we think of 1966, and yes, penalty shoot-outs. When we think of England and food we think of Fish and Chips! We know there are a lot of England Supporters on the island! And is there anything more British than Fish and Chips? We’ve had our fair share of fish and chips and all of you supporting England can enjoy a delicious plate from some of our favourite places for fish and chips. If you haven’t tried The Chippy Van yet, this is your time to try it. Be prepared for its very large size!
Super Fish and Chips from The Chippy Van! Get in there!
A recent addition has been Fritto, which is situated on the Gzira waterfront, and serves a variety of fried foods. We tried their cute Fish and Chips in a cone and loved them. Also a place we like is The Dubliner in St Julians. Yes we hear you, it is an Irish pub, but their fish and chips are worth a mention!
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Another British dish? A good old English Breakfast. Probably the heaviest, but most satisfying breakfast we can think of! Check out this delight from The Pickle Barrel Malta. Would these two dishes help to end 56 years of hurt in Euro2020?
One great breakfast. The good old English Breakfast!
OMGFoodMalta Prediction: Semi Finalists
Belgium
With great odds, Belgium is third in line to be the winners of the next European Football Championships 2020. Skill and flair, Belgium are there among the top seeds and with good reason.
The Belgian Fry some some crunchy ones
Food wise, this one is particularly fun, because to show support for Belgium, you can enjoy a great portion of Belgian Fries from The Belgian Fry. The Belgian Fry gives you a generous portion of chips and a choice from sauces. Will Belgium manage to fry their opposition all the way to the Euro2020 trophy?
OMGFoodMalta Prediction: Quarter Finalists
Italy
Ahh, Italy. The land of culinary beauty! All evenings with Italian food become Notti Magiche! Whenever visiting Italy, the biggest problem is how to try everything! Italian cuisine is the combination of Mediterranean cuisine with a variety of regional flavours. They start the Euro 2020 tournament, against Turkey (kebab, anyone?) another land of culinary delights!
Italy vs Turkey start out Euro2020! Pizza vs Kebab!
Pizza, Pizza, Pizza! Pasta, Pasta, Pasta! We hear you Italy supporters. Over here on the Maltese Islands we are close enough that inevitably, our cuisine has been influenced by the Italian one. Mostly we are blessed with a variety of outlets which sell excellent Italian food.
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Some of our favourites include Prosciutteria in Gzira, which makes the most amazing Pinsa and pasta dishes, Pastaus in Valletta for some great pasta dishes and of course Toghma, which although Maltese in its name, makes some great Pizza al taglio! All of them are winners!
OMGFoodMalta Prediction: Euro2020 Winners
Germany
Just like the German national team was not often spectacular, German cuisine often has been labeled as stodgy and fatty, its boring nature attributed to the lack of variety. Just like the football team though, it’s always there when you need it. We’re sure it will be the same at Euro2020.
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Germans love their meats, like traditional dishes such as roasted pork hocks (Schweinshaxe), braised pork roast with cabbage (Schweinebraten und Kohl), and Sauerbraten. Of course, we all know about the schnitzel, a German way of preparing meat, usually cutlets. What we also love are pretzels, the perfect accompaniment with beer!
German cuisine is another one we’d like to give a bit more love to, so if you know of any specialised places here on the islands, let us know!
OMGFoodMalta Prediction: Quarter finalists
Portugal
The current champions, football wise, and going to Euro2020 as one of the top seeds. When you think about the Portuguese football, you obviously think of Cristiano Ronaldo. How much do we know about Portugese cuisine though? Certainly less than we know about Portugese football!
Our most recent encounter (admittedly still some time ago) with Portugese food was whilst having a coffee at Coffee Circus Porto in Ta’Xbiex, where we got to know about their Pastel de nata, a typical Portuguese sweet consisting of an egg custard tart pastry dusted with cinnamon.
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Influenced by Mediterranean cuisine, Portuguese cuisine heavily relies on seafood, from crispy whole sardines to dried and salted cod. Unfortunately, it is often overshadowed by the food culture of its neighbours Spain, as well as other Mediterranean countries such as Italy. This is reflected in the fact that you won’t find many, if any, Portuguese restaurants on the Maltese Islands. If you know of any, let us know cause we would love to try!
OMGFoodMalta Prediction: Semi Finalists
Spain
We all loved the Spanish football team of 2010 which left world football in awe. In the same way, anyone who visited Spain found it hard not to fall in love with Spanish cuisine. Whilst we tend to associate Spanish food mostly with Tapas and Paella, there is much more to it.
Amazing brioche from Tapea Restaurant
It is a combination of several different cultural legacies (Spain is historically the result of the union of several regions). Just like Mediterranean cuisine, traditional Spanish cuisine consists mostly of a down-to-earth style of food based on natural ingredients available in the region, such as olive oil, ham, cheeses and fish.
The lovely gazpacho from Tapea Restaurant
For us at OMGFoodMalta, we cannot talk about Spanish cuisine without mentioning Tapea in St Julians, one of our favourite places. We still reminisce about the fabulous dinner we experienced there some time ago!
OMGFoodMalta Prediction: Quarter Finalists
What do you think of our Euro2020 predictions? Who do you think will win and who do you think has the best cuisine? Whatever the case, enjoy the tournament!
