The Eurovision Song Contest is back in 2022, held in Turin, Italy! Tune into the Australian exclusive primetime broadcast on SBS and SBS On Demand on 13, 14 and 15 May. For all the details visit sbs.com.au/Eurovision, and join the conversation using #SBSEurovision
If there's anything to take away from this year's Eurovision Song Contest, it's to live a healthy life. We have Latvia's Citi Zēni urging us to eat salad and Norway's Subwoolfer duo wanting to "Give that Wolf a Banana". But besides eating plant-based diets, what else do our Eurovision stars like to feast on?
We asked some of this year's contestants to share their favourite snack or dish from the country they're representing, and let's just say we can forgive them if they take a 'cheat day' since Eurovision is the perfect excuse to gorge on special fare.
Australia: Sheldon Riley
Of course, we could not write this list without adding the two zests of Sheldon Riley, so this is where our snacks trail begins. Australia’s Eurovision representative tells SBS Food that his Filipino grandparents have inspired a dish close to his heart.
“I spent a lot of time with my grandparents when I was growing up. There’s this Filipino dish called adobo, and it’s one of my favourites that they taught me how to cook it. I can make it really well, and my partner loves it, and it’s really lovely to see him love Filipino culture and food,”
“It just smells good, and it’s just the feeling you get.”
You give us the warm and fuzzies too Sheldon with your food choice – and voice.
Montenegro: Vladana Vucinic
After two years absent from the contest, Montenegro is back with songstress Vladana Vucinic representing the Balkan nation. Besides singing, her other favourite pastime is feasting on a Montenegro dish.
"My favourite dish is called japraci. It is a minced meat and rice mixture rolled into a raštan, which is a variety of dark cabbage that thrives only in Montenegro," Vucinic tells SBS Food.
"We only have japraci for special occasions like New Year's Eve, and my mother used to make it the best. Dad came a close second!"
Estonia: Stefan Airapetjan
Pancakes may be a much-loved breakfast staple in singer Stefan Airapetjan's home country of Estonia, but it's another morning favourite that hooks him: omelettes.
Airapetjan tells SBS Food that having this egg-cellent meal gives him a sense of nostalgia for his Armenian roots.
Source: Adam Liaw
"My grandma in Armenia used to make me an omelette with coriander, oil and lavash bread, and eating it just reminds me of her and how happy it made me as a kid."
ESTONIAN PANCAKES
Can't choose between pancakes or crepes? Try these Estonian blini
Germany: Malik Harris
Germany's Malik Harris may sing about Rockstars when he takes to the Eurovision stage, but he raves about his favourite carb-filled dish, käsespätzle (often referred to as Germany's version of mac and cheese), when he's offstage.
There's no place on Earth where käsespätzle tastes as perfect as they do in Bavaria, Germany.
"Since I'm trying to live mostly vegan, I'd go with vegan käsespätzle," says the Bavaria-born Harris. "Käsespätzle is a typical Bavarian dish that I like to have with a lot of pepper as it always reminds me of home because there's no place on Earth where käsespätzle tastes as perfect as they do in Bavaria, Germany."
READ MORE
Spatzle
Switzerland: Marius Bear
His track may point out that "Boys Do Cry," but his snacking memories are full of happy tears and cheese dreams. After leaving Australia when he was only eight years old, Marius' family settled in the Appenzellerland region of northwest Switzerland and with that comes Appenzeller cheese, a hard cow's milk Alpine cheese
"A great snack, especially with fresh homemade bread on a cheese platter (mainly consisting of Appenzeller cheese!), some fruit, walnuts or pickles. Depending on the hour of the day, a glass of red wine was also a delicious choice to have with it."
Party perfect
Swiss cheese fondue
Greece: Amanda Georgiadis Tenfjord
Greece's Amanda Georgiadis Tenfjord is no stranger to eating challenges. She undertook one on what was a hot, pork-filled summer in Greece.
Tenfjord says, "My favourite food is gyros as it has all the good things inside like tzatziki, fries, tomato and pork, and I even gave myself a personal challenge when I was 16 to eat one gyro a day in summer."
Gyro o'clock
Gyro meatball kebabs with feta tzatziki sauce
And were Tenfjord's efforts worthy of a Guinness World Records entry?
"I ate 64!" she says.
Now that's one way to wrap up this list!
