Originally written as part of the World Cup 2014 cooking project.
Football:
Honduras first qualified for the World Cup in 1982, the great spectacle in Spain and the first World Cup that I have very clear recollections of. Honduras was grouped with Spain, Northern Ireland and Yugoslavia. I distinctly remember this group as Spain as group favourites and hosts managed to scrape through by the skin of their teeth after being unbelievably beaten by Northern Ireland and almost equivalently, unbelievably being held to a draw by Honduras. The Honduran team pushed Northern Ireland to a draw and eventually, and narrowly, lost to Yugoslavia, therefore being eliminated. It was still a great effort and the name Honduras has remained with me since that World Cup.
In Brasil, Honduras start with a really tough match against Les Bleus of France. If they can come through that with a draw then I reckon they have a chance against Ecuador (although I will probably say the same about Ecuador against Honduras when I write that post tomorrow) and Switzerland. After Costa Rica’s amazing win against Uruguay confidence will be high in Central America for another upset. Watch out for the two English Premier League players Maynor Figueroa and Wilson Palacios, as well as forwards Carlo Costly and Jerry Bengston.
The Dish:
Pretty much throughout Latin America there are many common food types with each country having their own specialities. Honduran cuisine is no different in that it ranges from plantain and tortillas to chorizo and roasted meat. A national dish of Honduras is considered to be Plato Tipico, a plate of food with accompaniments that include fried plantain, refried beans, shredded marinated cabbage, salty sour cream (known as mantequilla) and bags of tortillas, of course.
The food sounds great but what really grabbed my attention was the seafood. Therefore, I have taken influence from the Caribbean coast and Bay Islands in selecting the dish for Honduras; a ceviche of white fish with prawns. Typically in Latin America sea bass is used but a really good firm white fish is equally as good. The ceviche is mixed with Honduras’ version of salsa, known as chimol.
