Doha, Qatar
Feijoada is a stew of beans with sausages. Most Goans love it and so do the Portuguese. It is one of the many culinary things which have been adopted by lock, stock and barrel by the Goans from the colonial rulers.
The Feijoada and all things Portuguese, including its cuisine, will take centre stage this weekend in Doha, Qatar’s capital, as Portugal’s top most supporter Carlos Brum, is heading to Qatar at the invitation of the Supreme Committee, the organisers of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
On September 9, he will attend the Lusail Super Cup, at Lusail Stadium, between Al Hilal SFC - the winner of the Saudi Professional League and Zamalek SC - the winner of the Egyptian Premier League, the same venue which will host the World Cup final with Brum looking forward to the Friday match.
The Portuguese national’s extraordinary globetrotting record speaks for him. As and when he lands at Hamad International Airport in Doha, it will be his 187th country, which he has visited so far, quite a record. His travel journey began as a 19-year-old in 1977, starting with the African continent followed by the Americas.
Portugal’s adepto No 1 has been to five World Cups, three of those he has attended travelling by caravan with a road trip from Portugal to Germany (2006) and the next one to South Africa (2010) also by road and the last World Cup in Russia also travelling by road. He is eagerly awaiting and counting the days to undertake his fourth one to Qatar.
For the unversed, Brum is a self-confessed foodie and a wonderful chef, who loves to cook delicious meals for his friends and players during his travels.
Time and again he has prepared lip-smacking Portuguese dishes which many national team players and coaches have relished and cleaned till the last drop on their plates.
It was at the 2006 World Cup in Germany that Pauleta (Portuguese football player) came to his caravan to eat Portuguese Feijoada cooked by him.
“I will cook on the road trip and also in Qatar for the Qatar people and serve them wonderful Portuguese food. All my friends say I'm a great cook and if they say, I must be. I had some Portuguese players come to the bus and also the President of Portuguese federation and other committee members and eat food with me and my friends -- Caldeirada de Peixe during the 2006 Germany World Cup and Portugal player Pauleta ate Feijoada prepared by me in Germany."
“In Armenia during the Euro Cup, coach Filipe Scolari came to the bus to eat my mother’s Bacalhau and some players came to eat Portuguese bread and cheese,” said the 64-year-old.
At this year's World Cup, he is heading to Qatar in his Caravan along with two other friends, but as and when he lands in Doha on Wednesday night he will get a first glimpse of the country.
“I wish all the best to the organisers of the World Cup and the Qatar people and to all the people who will be in Qatar for the 2022 World Cup a wonderful time, with lots of fun, peace and love... Carlos, Lucia and Rechonchudo are coming and we will bring you love, peace and fun... Salam Qatar,” Brum said ahead of his trip to Qatar.
“I have been planning this trip to Qatar since the moment I came to know Qatar will host the World Cup in 2022, it was a bit complicated to get everything organised for the trip like money, food, repair of the car, tickets, visas, documentation for the car to show at the borders and get necessary permissions for travel, all insurances, and more,” said the shop owner, who makes his living selling precious stones, semi-precious, and silver jewellery in Portugal.
“For me, besides the matches, I love to see the nature, the people, and the cultures of the countries we drive through, and I love to enjoy all the joy, it’s a cup with all these wonderful people from all the world, in the end, we are one world, one people, one love,” said Brum, who was born in Terceira island, a small island in the middle of the Antarctic Ocean in the Azores Archipelago, which was the capital of Portugal for two different periods of time and the city never came under Spaniard's occupations of 60 years while the rest of the country was ruled by Spain.
The Portuguese is excited ahead of his road trip to Qatar and said that most things are ready and only need to be fixed on the technical front and he is hoping to have a great time in Qatar.
“We think it will be a wonderful World Cup. Inshallah, we will enjoy Qatar, the people, the cultures, the food, the sea, and the desert. I love desert land, sand, sand, sand, and palm trees,” said Brum, who'll leave for Qatar on September 20 in his caravan with his two other companions.
He is not new to the Middle East having travelled earlier to the Middle East in Egypt, Jordan, Dubai, Kuwait, Syria.
“We will drive from Portugal through Spain, France, Switzerland, Austria, Czech Republic and on September 24 we will watch a Portuguese match in Prague, then we will go to Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia, Macedonia, Greece, Bulgaria, Turkey, Georgia, Armenia, Iran then boat to Oman, Saudi Arabia and finally Doha, Qatar... inshallah,” he said about his Qatar road trip which sees him cover 10,500 kms in his caravan.
“We have everything we need, it’s just like a one-room apartment, small but enormous charisma that no money can buy, the caravan is the bus of all Portugal."
For the moment, Brum and his friends are avoiding the Iraq route to Qatar explaining the reason he said: “Iraq must be a wonderful country, very big and with ancient culture (Babylonia) sure much to see there, but at the moment by political reasons I think it will be a danger to go with a car with foreign plates, it’s a pity because it is a country I would love to visit, but at the moment is not the right time for it.”
Brum has many stories to tell of his travels, that includes his travels to Goa, which he has visited 20 times starting with his first one in 1983, and last one in 2018.
Brum knows some of the North Goa beaches like the back of his hand and is looking forward to visiting the former Portuguese colony next year.
“I love Goa. I like the Old Goa, Chapora, Anjuna and Arambol beaches, I have already got a visa two weeks back and I will travel to India in February 2023. In India, I have been to Calcutta, Delhi, Bombay, Jaipur, Manali, Kashmir, Puskar, Agra, and so many other places.”
Brum, who started his travel hitchhiking carries shades of his hippie life with him and misses the hippie era of the 70, and 80s.
“I travelled around the world hitchhiking during my lovely hippie times,” he adds.
Incidentally, Jorge Franco, with whom he travelled to a few World Cups is also taking the Caravan trip from Portugal to Qatar accompanied by two other friends in a separate bus.
