Watching the FIFA World Cup? Here's where to find food to match the teams

Combine 32 teams from around the world, add a healthy dollop of soccer and a sprinkle of nationalistic pride and you have a smorgasbord of global cuisine.

The FIFA World Cup of soccer, played every four years and currently taking place in Russia, is a global entertainment spectacle and an opportunity to search for international foods. 

• More stories from CBC-KW food columnist Andrew Coppolino

A few of the global powers — Holland and Italy for instance — didn't even make it to Russia, and other soccer royalty have suffered shocking losses. For many people in Waterloo region, the stunning surprise of top-ranked Germany's elimination is still resonating.

Here are few examples of local restaurants that serve cuisine from soccer nations.

Russia is in the fray as host nation and is a vast land of food which includes perogies, pelmeni, stews and soups like borscht. You can find those at Waterloo's Teremok Café. 

The eastern European countries of Croatia and Serbia were both competing in Russia.

You likely won't find many Croatian dishes in Waterloo Region and surrounding areas, but Serbian fare is well represented — and meaty and rich it is, too. Check out Veslo Family Restaurant n Arnold Street in Kitchener and J & B Family Restaurant on Victoria Street between Duke and Weber.

While Croatia does advance into the Round of 16 playoff, Brazil, the five-time World Cup champion turfed the Serbs out of the competition.

While there used to be a roasted-meat focused Brazilian rodizio in downtown Kitchener, you will find traces of Brazilian foods at Portuguese restaurants,  as well as the delicious Caipirinha cocktail.  

Uruguayans — the country that won the first World Cup in 1930 — love to grill meat.

Asado is both charcoal grilling and the meat that results, but the closest food would come from just across the Rio de la Plata in Argentina, a South American soccer powerhouse through to the final 16 and featuring the magical Lionel Messi.

In Waterloo Region, you can find Argentine empanadas and altajores from KW Empanadas. 

The food of favourites Spain and Portugal is well-represented in Waterloo Region.

The kitchen at Public Kitchen and Bar is dedicated to serving regional Spanish cooking and serves inventive tapas-style dishes.

Their Iberian peninsula neighbour, Portugal, led by football phenom Cristiano Ronaldo, is represented through the food at Lisboa Bakery and Grill on Fischer-Hallman Road in Kitchener. Try the charcoal roasted chicken. 

There is also Algarve Restaurant (get a bifana) on Stirling Avenue South in Kitchener and Moderno Bistro in Cambridge.  

Swiss Castle in Kitchener and Simon's Place in Waterloo served Swiss-inspired food but are long gone. (I don't think Swiss Chalet counts.)

Scandinavian restaurants are not easy to find (discounting the meat balls at IKEA), but Sweden and Denmark are both still competing at Russia 2018.

Sweden is through to the next round as is Denmark, and you can toast the Kingdom of about six million Danes with a visit to Sunset Villa, a hidden restaurant and event space in Puslinch. They are only open at the end of the week.

Colombia and Japan ended up first and second in Group H, respectively.

Colombian fare isn't readily available locally, but Japanese food is present in the myriad of sushi restaurants and the single izakaya serving at Kinkaku Izakaya. 

Mexico moves in to the sudden death round. The ubiquitous taco is available at many, many restaurants in the region.

Holy Guacamole has several locations in Kitchener and Waterloo for quick-service Mexican-inspired fare, with the Cactus Mexican Restaurant located in Waterloo and Latinoamerica Unida in Cambridge. 

England's sole World Cup championship is a very dull echo from 1966 now, but English pubs and fish and chips, along with meat pies and pints, resonate much louder in the region and beyond.

The English side go through to sudden-death knockout along with Belgium.

While there is no Belgian restaurant in the region, you can give a nod to the small European country when you eat French fries (they invented them) and Belgian waffles made by local bakeries like Ambrosia Pastry Co. of Kitchener.