Fang Food: USMNT Edition

Over the past week, I learned three things. One, America can be spell-bound by soccer/football. Two, my Belgian waffle maker died a horrible death at some point. Three, the waffles we traditionally call Belgian are not actually from Belgium, but are, in fact, a North American creation. However, I am an American, and if I decide to attribute a food to a certain country *cough*french fries*cough* then, by golly, it's from that country!

Scouting Report

As I mentioned, my Belgian waffle maker broke, so I can't actually make Belgian waffles this week. I can, however, make normal waffles, or in this case, buttermilk waffles, which I actually prefer. Waffles first began to make their appearance in the 9th and 10th centuries as a variation of Catholic communion wafers. They were gradually improved from their original recipe of just flour and water, eventually including things such as sugar, eggs, some cheeses, and spices. Unlike today, they were never made at home, but instead were made by street vendors, and higher end versions were made in shops.

Now, waffles are popular the world over, including both sweet and savory versions, the sweet, of course, being the more popular in the states. With more variations listed on the Wikipedia page alone, not even counting the ones that didn't make it up there, it might be one of the most experimented food items on the planet.

One note about an ingredient used in this week's recipe. Dry buttermilk powder is basically exactly what it sounds like. Much like powdered milk, it is dehydrated buttermilk. You can find it in the same aisle as powdered milk in most supermarkets. Before you open it, you can keep it in your pantry up until the use-by date. After opening, you'll need to refrigerate it, and it will be good for a year or the use-by date, whichever comes first.

Recipe

Best Buttermilk Waffles

By America's Test Kitchen

Makes roughly eight waffles

Ingredients:

2 C. unbleached all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. sugar
3/4 tsp. table salt
1/2 C. dried buttermilk powder 
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 C. sour cream
2 eggs
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 C. vegetable oil
1 1/4 C. unflavored seltzer water

• Directions:Whisk flour, sugar, salt, buttermilk powder, and baking soda in large bowl to combine. Whisk sour cream, eggs, vanilla, and oil in medium bowl to combine. Gently stir seltzer into wet ingredients. Make well in center of dry ingredients and pour in wet ingredients. Using a rubber spatula, gently stir until just combined. Batter should remain slightly lumpy with streaks of flour.
• Heat waffle iron and bake waffles according to manufacturer's instructions (use about 1/3 cup for 7-inch round iron). Once the waffle has cooked, you can keep it in a warm oven (about 250 degrees) for up to ten minutes while you finish making the rest of the waffles. You won't want to keep it there much longer than that, though, as they will start to get soggy.

By consuming them, we absorb their strengths. It's just like cannibalism. Only with a lower chance of contracting a horrible brain disease. ~ Jim McLennan Join Blake, (imstillhungry95) and Patrick (Turambar) as we explore the food and drink of our opponents throughout the season. Find us on Facebook, email us at fangfood@gmail.com, or check out our past articles!!