São Paulo – Caramel cream? Yes. Fine chocolates. Yes. Spray oil, nachos, moringa, orange, garlic? Yes, all these food products are produced by Arab firms. A table laden with these and other items at a cocktail party held last Tuesday (16) night by the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (ABCC) in a restaurant in São Paulo was a demonstration of the sheer diversity and size of the food industry in the Arab countries.
The meeting was held on a day of the supermarket fair APAS Show, where Arab brands are exhibiting in areas organized by the ABCC. “Brazilians aren’t fully aware of the diversity of what’s manufactured in the Arab countries, of their capacity to manufacture foods different from those they’re traditionally known for, like dates and olives,” said ABCC president Osmar Chohfi.
According to Chohfi, by holding the event and bringing Arab firms to APAS, the ABCC aimed to raise awareness in the Brazilian market on the high-quality food production of Arab countries. The cocktail party was attended by both Arab businesspeople that are in Brazil to exhibit at APAS or as part of a trade mission to the Latin American country and Brazilians interested in networking.
Businessman and clinical nutritionist Gilson Hiroshi Yagi attended the cocktail with his wife Edineia Frei Yagi. The couple had been to the United Arab Emirates and took the opportunity to get to know the diverse culinary of the region. “I was shocked with such diversity,” Gilson said. He noticed how Lebanese food are the most well-known in Brazil. “But Arab sweets were a really big surprise,” he said. During the event, he was amazed to see Jordanian products and Saudi soft drinks showcased.
Executives Fabiana Araujo and Michelle Pereira (opening picture), of financial institution Parmetal, attended the event and got to know the broad variety of Arab foods. “It’s really diverse,” said Pereira. As a vegan, she noticed a large supply of cereals, which are important for those who share her food habits.
Jordan’s ambassador to Brazil, Maen Masadeh, a guest at the event, believes the population of Arab origin living in Brazil can promote the Arab foods, incentivizing Brazilians to experiment them. “Brazilians already have an idea of Arab cuisine, of Arab food, because of the people of Arab origin living in Brazil, especially in São Paulo.”
Many of the food brands showcased in the cocktail party were from Jordan, a country that has exhibitors at APAS, too. Masadeh said this is his country’s second time in the show, which has been repeated due to its success in 2022. According to the ambassador, the Jordanians supply products such as peppers, canned goods, sweets, vegetables, and fruit.
Mustapha Abdouni, Jordan’s honorary council and ABCC councilor, is very familiar with Arab foods and an advocate of the region’s flavors. “The sweets they make there are different than those made here,” he said. He believes that if Brazil buy more foods from the Arab countries, it’ll be easier to locally imitate the region’s flavors.
The table served by the ABCC for last Tuesday night’s event featured products from different Arab firms present at APAS like crackers, cookies, olive oil, chocolates, herbal teas, creams, peppers, sweets, dates, garlic, oranges, cereal bars, nachos, soft drinks, pickled olives, dried fruit, essential oils, as well as cleaning products, which are also supermarket items. The Arab exhibitors at APAS are brands from Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia, UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq.
Read more on the Arab participation at APAS on ANBA.
Translated by Guilherme Miranda
