São São Paulo – To mark the 140th anniversary of Lebanese immigration to Brazil, publishing house Ernest Books and restaurant Alyah Sweets, in São Paulo, have come together to host a festival. The event is taking place from September 19 to next Sunday (27). It features a special menu based on recipes from the book Culinária Libanesa (Lebanese Cuisine), by Salma Hage, out through Phaidon in Britain, and being launched through Ernest Books in Brazil during the festival.
Ernest Books has said part of the proceeds from sales through October 20 will go to the Lebanese Red Cross, to help rebuild the damage from the Port of Beirut blast last August. The book is on sale for BRL 239 at the restaurant and from the Ernest Books website. BRL 15 will be donated for each book sold.
The Alyah Sweets restaurant has been in business since November last year, with a menu revolving around traditional Lebanese delicacies. For the festival, chef Amer Shehadeh and his team have prepared an entrée, two main courses and one dessert, which are available as a whole meal or standalone. The dishes are available from the restaurant for the duration of the festival. Orders can be made direct to the restaurant via WhatsApp or using the apps Rappi and iFood.
The dishes on the menu have been curated from the 1,006 recipes featured in Culinária Libanesa. Options include tabbouleh with pomegranates and vegetable stock, for BRL 29, and lamb with saffron and nut rice, for BRL 81. Also available is baklawa, one of the specialties at Alyah and a mainstay of Lebanese cuisine, for BRL 15.
The Alyah restaurant had previously donated part of its sweets sales proceeds to Lebanon. On its Instagram account, it also said it contributed BRL 51,000 to Um Abraço em Beirute (Embracing Beirut), a campaign launched last Sunday (20) on Brazil’s TV Cultura channel, as an initiative of the Consulate General of Lebanon to Rio de Janeiro with support from the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce.
Quick facts
Lebanese cuisine festival
Alyah Sweets – Avenida Indianópolis, 1401 – Indianópolis, São Paulo
Delivery: +55 (11) 99926-7796
Culinária Libanesa, by Selma Hage
Price: BRL 239 (511 pages)
Ernest Books
Rua Augusta, 2333, Room 1, postal code 01413-000
www.ernestbooks.com.br
Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum