Cheeseheads Rip New Steel Curtain to Shreds

The Pittsburgh Sandwich, above, is popular fare at home games of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Photo from http://www.primantibros.com/.

AND the winner of Super Bowl XLV is … drumroll, please … the GREEN BAY PACKERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

No, your eyes do not deceive you. The Green Bay Packers emerged victorious over the Pittsburgh Steelers in foodspring’s first Super Bowl Food-Off.

The specialty food Web site (http://www.foodspring.com/) officiated the game and over four quarters considered how strongly each team is associated with food (and drink). As foodspring points out, eating is the most popular element of the Super Bowl after the game itself.

Super Bowl XLV will be played in the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Photo from www.nfl.com.

Here’s how the site called the competition. The first quarter was all about the name. While the Steelers play in a stadium named for a ketchup purveyor, that was not enough to take the quarter. The Pack took it with two touchdowns. It’s named for its meatpacking sponsor. (Incidentally, the team was co-founded by an employee of the meatpacking company – a fellow by the name of Earl “Curly” Lambeau.) Additionally, fans call themselves Cheeseheads.

Second quarter saw a momentum shift in favor of the Steelers when the question on the table was how strongly food is associated with the state. All of the cheese in Wisconsin could not overcome Pennsylvania’s status as the country’s “unofficial snack capital.”

Yum or Yuck. Pizza beer is a liquid with the flavor of both pizza and beer. Photo from www.mammiamia.com.

Pennsylvania is responsible for lots of pretzels and tons of potatoes. Sorry Idaho. Icing on the cake, or sour cream on the potoato skins, is the famous Pittsburgh Sandwich The delicacy should come with a warning label, though – pastrami (lots of it), french fries and cole slaw stuffed between two slices of Italian bread

After the half, The Pack regrouped to take the third quarter with a best in beer citation. And won extra points for Pizza Beer (it’s a liquid, not a solid). Yup.

While the Steelers won the game without scoring in the second half of the AFC Championship Game against the New York Jets the other week, they weren’t so lucky in the Super Bowl Food-Off.


Wisconsin is also popular for its wide variety of cheeses. Photo from www.wisconline.com.

In the fourth quarter, where brand/product placement and Web-centricity, were the main considerations, the "Pittsburgh food" was unable to overcome the presence of the search, “Green Bay food,” on Google. Similarly, Packer players were better at hawking and being hawked. Not only does there exist a restaurant that is a shrine to former Packer quarterback Brett Favre, said restaurant is located on a street named for the future Hall of Famer.

Bowl Would Not Be the Same Without Chips
While many Super Bowl viewers will be chowing down on Pittsburgh Sandwiches and drinking Pizza Beer and other brews, another staple of the feast is chips.

These are not mother's or father's potato chips, though. They are not high-salt, high-fat, greasy and otherwise bad for you but good to you. These are chips made from beans and things. They are good to you and good for you – in moderation, of course.

Introducing the likes of Beanitos Black Bean Chipotle BBQ. (Also Black Bean Chips; Pinto Bean Chips, Cheddar Cheese; Always Corn Free Pinto Bean Chips with Flax, Cheddar Cheese; Always Corn Free Black Bean Chips, Chipotle BBQ). NUTRITION FACTS: Size: 6-oz. bag. One serving: 10-chip/1-oz.; Calories: 140; Fat: 7g; Sodium: 150mg; Carbohydrates: 15g; Protein: 4; Fiber: 5g; Price: Around $3.99.

A panel of people that knows and decides such things convened last month at the Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco (http://www.specialtyfood.com/fancy-food-show/) and declared that along with “healing foods” and “chocolate for breakfast,” “creative chips” are one of the top five food trends this year.

Another creative chip is Falafel Chips from Flamous Brands in original sesame and spicy. They have an impeccable health pedigree: natural, organic, kosher, vegan and gluten-free. They compliment many dips, especially, falafel chips sauce. See the recipe below from Flamous Brnads (http://www.flamousbrands.com/). NUTRITION FACTS: Size: 3.6-oz./8-oz. bags. One serving: 11-chip/1-oz. Calories: 118; Fat: 6g; Sodium: 80mg; Carbohydrates: 16g; Protein: 4g; Fiber: 5g; Price: Around $2.49/$4.79.

Falafel Chips Sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
Salt to taste
1 cup tahini paste
juice of two lemons (6 tablespoons)
1/2 cup water
Optional: Salad (lettuce, tomato, red peppers, cucumbers)

Mix garlic with sea salt. Whisk together garlic, tahini paste and lemon juice add water slowly until combined well and a creamy paste is established. Put a few falafel chips in a sample cup, top with salad mix, and drizzle some falafel sauce on it. Enjoy!

Super Bowl XLV between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers will air at 6:30 p.m. EST on FOX.