Eating at the World Cup!

At the FIFA Cup, of course and not in the room lol

Jokes aside, I started researching the typical foods of Qatar, a country in the Middle East, which is hosting the FIFA World Cup this year in 2022, and I came across several dishes already well known here in Brazil, such as tabbouleh, hummus and lamb with yogurt sauce, and I found others that are more peculiar, let’s say exotic, but nothing absurd, just more unusual for us.

And since the heat is coming with a vengeance, how about a fresh recipe to eat while watching the games?

Tabule is a simple, light recipe that can be “Brazilianized” to gain more followers. Let’s go to the traditional recipe first.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup fine wheat tea
1/2 onion
2 ripe tomatoes
1 small cucumber
1 bunch of parsley leaves
1 bunch of fresh mint leaves
1 lemon (just the broth)
50ml olive oil
salt to taste
lettuce leaves for serving

Method of preparation:
In a bowl place the wheat and cover with water and let it hydrate for 15 minutes. While soaking, wash, dry and cut the tomatoes in half, discard the seeds and cut each half into small cubes. Peel and cut the onion into small cubes. Wash the cucumber and cut into small cubes. Wash and dry the parsley and mint leaves well, chop them coarsely.
Once the wheat has timed, line a sieve with a clean kitchen towel and drain the water from the wheat. Join the ends of the cloth, making a bundle, and wring well to drain excess water. Place the chopped onion, tomato, cucumber, parsley and mint in a bowl, season with the lemon broth, olive oil, salt to taste and mix well. Add the hydrated wheat and mix gently with a spoon, adjusting the salt if necessary. Serve with lettuce leaves, roughly torn, as desired.

Tips to make it your own:
– For those who can’t eat wheat, swap it for quinoa.
– Adding grated carrot is essential.
– If you don’t like cucumber, swap it for a fruit, like mango or pineapple, it’s more refreshing.
– Do you want to make more protein? Add cooked chickpeas to the tooth and lightly crushed.
– Or simply add cottage cheese on top of the traditional recipe, I guarantee you won’t regret it.
– Swap the lettuce for other leaves, if you prefer.
– If you like a thicker seasoning, mix the lemon juice with 100g of natural yogurt.

The coolest thing is to do it with love, bring family and friends together, and support your favorite team, mine is Brazil and yours?

Bon appétit and happy World Cup!