Iga Swiatek did not want to be asked about trivial things like what she had fir dinner, at Wimbledon. But since she was thrown the poser anyway, the Polish finalist who fights for the title on Saturday, decided to stab all-hearts with a sweet-sour strawberry – slathered on…pasta.
The No. 8 seed left a trail of horror-struck Wimbledon watchers when she declared she’d been craving her favorite while at Wimbledon -“I ate it as a kid,” she told the presenter. “It’s pasta with strawberries.”
The shock has stupefied more than the Wimbledon watchers, though following her third-round win over American Danielle Collins, Swiatek has romped all the way into the finals.
“Why is it such a big thing? Everybody should eat that,” Swiatek had said, knowing exactly what her words would do to the strawberry & cream faithful. “I think in summer kids are eating it a lot. I don’t know. It’s just a perfect mix of tastes.”
After losing to Djokovic, Wimbledon found the perfect man to voice their horror. Flavio Cobolli was around to pantomime the mock flabbergast, as the Italian world No. 24 told Tennis Channel’s Steve Weissman and Jon Wertheim on Monday, “I talked with her yesterday. I told her, ‘What did (you do)? Now they want to try strawberry and pasta!’” Tennis.com further quoted him saying,
“I wouldn’t want to be in her position… I wish good luck for her when she comes back (to) Italy!”
Cobolli was asked about that other sacrilege – pineapple on pizza. Tennis.com quoted him as saying, “She said yogurt on pasta… this is worse. I tried pineapple (on pizza) and it’s not so bad!”
Polish delicacy
It was ofcourse ignorance on part of everyone – especially the British – for not knowing what Swiatek was referring to – makaron z truskawkami, a popular Polish dish made with strawberries, pasta and yogurt.
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According to Today.com’s registered dietician Heather Martin, Pasta with strawberries, or makaron z truskawkami, is a common dish in Poland, which grows even more strawberries than the Wimbledon farms produce. “It’s one of the top producers in the European Union, with lots of local varieties. Makaron z truskawkami doesn’t attempt to make strawberries savory; it’s unapologetically sweet, fruit-forward and even often served cold, so mention of this dish is understandably causing some confusion,” Today.com said.
As per the website, “European and Slavic countries have a centuries-old habit of making starters and entrees out of fruit. Sweden has fruktsoppa, a soup made out of stewed dried fruits and warm spices, and Germany’s kaltschale is a cold berry soup. My personal favorite similar recipe is Ukrainian sour cherry vareniki (dumplings), a true delight well worth the trouble of making.”
The Wimbledon final, might finally go beyond strawberry&cream, and turn into USA vs Poland’s (Amanda Anisimova vs Swiatek), battle of the desserts. Today.com proceeded to remind of American “ambrosia salads” of the 20th century, e.g. Rosa Marina salad or frog eye salad, made with tiny orzo or acini di pepe pasta in a custard sauce along with mandarins and pineapple, and often mini marshmallows. “They’re sweet, fruity and cold, and although we in the 21st century might call them weird, I’ll bet you’ve still had one of them at a holiday buffet or church potluck,” she added informatively.
