#186 The Great Desserts of the World Cup
What are your favorites?
The World Cup is in full swing. Whether you're watching the mundial or not, this is a good time to explore some of the desserts of the world, from something common like a Basque cheesecake to a more niche, "in the know" pick like the Brazilian brigadeiro.
With Italy not being in the World Cup, we’ve missed the opportunity to include some iconic desserts in this infographic. No affogato. No tiramisu. Not even a panna cotta… Well, this just shows how absolutely goated Italy is when it comes to beautiful dessert.
That being said, here are some of the great desserts of the World Cup.
Like I mentioned earlier, a few of these you’ll recognize right away! And others you might be hearing for the first time. Either way, I hope this is an opportunity for you to try some of these desserts in your local or to even make your own this weekend!
From Brazil, we have the brigadeiro. They’re little fudgy spheres of condensed milk and cocoa, rolled in chocolate sprinkles. The original Ferrero Rocher, if you will. Every Brazilian birthday party has a stack of brigadeiros. Impossible to stop at one. Here’s an easy recipe to make some yourself.
You have to hear me out with this one. The easy answer with Argentina would have been alfajor. A sandwich held together by some dulce de leche. Absolute staple dessert. BUT, I don’t know if it’s just me but I always think of Argentina when I see Flan. I know it’s technically Spanish, but the Argentinians man… they made it theirs. They pair it so well with dulce de leche, sometimes some cream and you’re sure to find flan mixto on a multitude of menus in Buenos Aires. We talked about it a few years ago, here’s a good base recipe (link to Twitter / X post).
The Chajá from Uruguay (who are now eliminated at the time of writing) is intriguing. There’s something about desserts or cakes with a good sponge that gets me going. The chajá combines peaches, sponge, just a little whipped cream with some crumbled meringue. Absolutely glorious!
With Spain, there really was only one option if you’ve followed us for a while now. The Basque cheesecake is one of the best desserts ever made. I’ve said enough about Basque cheesecake. Make some this weekend with this recipe
If you’re like me and you loveeee shaved ice desserts, you need to make some bingsu. I know the beloved Koreans are out, Son Heung-min issued a public apology, their coach got heckled at Incheon International Airport, but that should not stop you from making some cool, beautiful bingsu this summer. If you have mango on hand (you should), this is a great recipe to follow.
Türkiye gives us baklava. If you’re craving pistachio but still want something sweet, you need good baklava. The best ones are cut into tiny pieces, not oily, and they give you the best crunch when you take that first bite. I love having a good (tiny) slice of baklava with some Turkish coffee. A must have pairing if you’re ever in Istanbul!
Portugal gives us the pastel de nata. Some people are surprised when you tell them the pastel de nata is Portuguese. It’s so iconic in various parts of the globe and to me the beauty is in its simplicity. All it is is a warm egg custard pastry, really with the top beautifully caramelized for that texture we all love and crave. Legend says monks in Lisbon were making these guys a few hundred years ago for a good way to use leftover egg yolks (back then they used a lot of egg whites to starch their clothes!). Always enjoy them warm, never have just one.
With Austria we have the iconic Sachertorte - one of my favorite chocolate cakes in the world. See, I’m not the biggest fan of chocolate. A lot of the time it’s just too much. It leaves you feeling all sluggish after. But oh God a good slice of Sachertorte will lift your spirits. Just a tiny slice! The apricot aftertaste… It’s incredible. Did you know? The Viennese love it so much they fought an actual lawsuit over who could call theirs the original. Always served with a spoonful of unsweetened cream. This is a great recipe if you’d like to make some this week.
And Iran? Bastani sonnati. Some say the most underrated ice cream flavor in the world. Saffron. Rosewater. Pistachios. I haven’t tried it yet but I’m sure when I do it’s going on the A tier. One of the oldest ice creams on the planet!!
P.S. Issue 42 has been slightly delayed! You can expect it in about a week, thank you all for your submissions :)
There’s electricity in a city
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It’s ice cream season
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The most beautiful sport
Tennis is the most beautiful sport in the world. Read our Wimbledon Issue from last year’s edition to get yourself in the mood for the most aesthetic tournament ever. Link in bio. No paywall. Completely free to read. Enjoy 🎾🥂
“If you’ve ever been in Italy in the early evening, you’ve probably seen people gathered at little tables outside, sipping something orange and bubbly. That’s aperitivo, and a classic Italian Spritz is one of the drinks you’ll see most often. It’s what people order when they want to slow down, catch up with friends, and enjoy a few salty snacks like olives or chips before dinner.
The whole point is to keep it light and refreshing, with just enough bitterness to wake up your appetite without feeling heavy. The prosecco brings the bubbles, Aperol or Campari adds that bittersweet kick, and a splash of soda keeps it easy to drink. Add ice and a slice of orange, and you have a simple Italian cocktail that tastes like summer in a glass.”
❋ Black Sesame Banana Bread with Cassava Flour
“Most of my recipes are created because I need to use up random ingredients from client shoots. I happen to have 2 super ripe bananas and I thought it would good to experiment with some cassava flour. It was an experiment gone right. Because this was a totally unplanned post, I don’t have any process shots to show you. However I still wanted to share because this is a blog and blogs started out being just sharing what we wanted to share. Today it’s this banana bread.”
❋ New Definition of Rich in 2026 by BowTied Bull
“If you explain that to people in retirement age, they will look at you like you’re insane. In their world it was all about how many people you managed and who you knew. It had nothing to do with being Sovereign. Being sovereign is the present and future.
High Income W-2: Intuitively they know this. If you talk to a person making good money in a W-2 (say $500,000, higher up middle aged), they will say they don’t feel rich. It’s because of the above mechanisms: 1) they are time poor - best hours of day go to the Company, 2) at that level you’re always on and expected to respond to messages, 3) you can’t choose where you live - location poor, 4) negative health impacts and 5) limited friends/family as a percent of your daily hours
In a nutshell? They are lifestyle poor.
Don’t be the meme!” — BowTied Bull
❋ Matcha Ice Cream by Jillian
“Was craving a matcha affogato. Made myself a matcha affogato with this ice cream (and a decaf shot of espresso). It’s incredibly creamy and smooth with a lovely hit of grassy bitterness from the matcha powder. Nothing better on a hot summer day!” — Jillian
❋ Extra Tart Lemonade by Maddy
“Hi friends! Happy official summer. Today I’m coming to you with a list of some of my June favorites and lemonade recipe. It’s your duty to make homemade lemonade at least 5 times this summer. There’s really nothing better. And maybe while you’re at it batch some iced tea so you can stretch the lemonade even further with Arnold Palmers.
If you don’t have a favorite homemade lemonade ratio, not to worry, I got you covered. Most lemonades have a 3 to 1 or even 4 to 1 ratio of water to lemon juice…. but my ideal equation is 2 parts water to 1 part lemon juice. Which makes it quite tart. Cheek puckering-ly tart. But that is my ideal lemonade!!! Extra tarte, not toooo sweet, and poured into a glass filled to the brim with ice.
I insist you freshly squeeze the lemons for the juice, homemade lemonade isn’t worth it with the store bought crap. To make the simple syrup, combine 1 cup of white sugar with 1 cup of water in a small sauce pan. Simmer, stirring occasionally until the sugar has dissolved. Cool and store in a covered container for 2 to 3 weeks in the fridge (makes enough for two batches of lemonade).” — Maddy
“Making candied cherries is a great way to preserve the abundance of summer cherries! They are super easy to make and great as a topping on ice cream, cakes, pies and even pancakes and waffles!
When cherries are on sale for $1.99 a pound, it’s time to buy ALL the cherries. But when you buy all the cherries, you have to use them all too.Enter these super awesome red candied cherries. I mean, these babies are good on everything....ice cream, cakes, pies, BROWNIES, pancakes, waffles....all the stuff!”
❋ An esoteric guide to neuroplasticity (up-ward spiralling) by Caitlin Morgan
“I have been overcome with a lucious, bright, overflow of gorgous optimisim and energy recently. I attribute it to 2. things: 1. moving into the countryside and 2. relaxing about everything.
There was a distinct moment (approximately 2 weeks ago) where I realised the tension held in my body, has also been sneakily living in the shadows of my mind. It was festering there and spiralling me downward. A lot of ‘taking things personally’, ‘overthinking interactions and decisions’, just generally exhausting myself with constant subjucation. And honestly? Loser behaviour!!!!! I totallyyyyy fell of. The internal light that I had so consciously nurtured through months of meditation was slipping down the drain of despair and peril!!!!” — Caitlin Morgan
Rebuild your IG Algorithm (more fun links):
❋ Why don’t trees get sunburnt?
❋ Stuffed Zucchini with Yogurt Sauce
❋ Four different varieties of seeded watermelon
Have an amazing week!
— Rocky
❋ All our digital issues are free to peruse. Explore our latest:
❋ Winter 25/26 Coffee Table Book (Print)
❋ Explore the full WARKITCHEN archive here.
❋ Joga Bonito Spotify Playlist
❋ Got an article or recipe in mind? We’d love to hear more! Please send your pitch to rocky@warkitchen.net.
Rocky, I’m delighted by the sight of Bingsu in this cover picture. It’s a step toward seeing more Asian imagery and coverage in your work which I adore, but sometimes find inaccessibly Eurocentric in nature. I someday hope to see issues that embrace the glory messiness of Asian gastronomy!
Blackforst Cake is commonly known as Schwarzwald Kuchen.