São Paulo – Despite his Italian ancestry, Fred Caffarena’s life purpose is focused on another part of the world. The Brazilian chef specializes in the Middle Eastern cuisine. And he keeps studying it, having eight years of experience and travels across the region. “I’ve always loved history. And whenever I have time, I’m reading books on the history of these cuisines. I say I spend more time studying history than actually cooking,” he told ANBA.
He lived, worked and studied cuisine in Turkey for a year from 2013 to 2014. There he noticed how the cuisines in the region traded creations and ingredients, influencing one another. “There’s always been a cultural interchange. The Levant cuisine is a great refining production hub, particularly Lebanon and Syria. Damascus was one of the largest palaces that have ever existed. Indeed, much of the Turkish palace cuisine comes from Damascus,” the chef explained on the cultural process that created cuisines such as the Turkish Ottoman one.
Caffarena has traveled to and experienced countries such as Lebanon, Morocco, United Arab Emirates, and Syria. This led him to start three different business, all focused on the Middle Eastern cuisine. In one of them, Kebab Salonu, he’s a partner. At Firin Salonu and the newest ‘Make Hommus. Not War’, he’s a partner and runs the kitchen.
His chief restaurant, Firin Salonu, closed its doors during quarantine. “I want Firin to change how Brazilians perceive Arab and Middle Eastern cuisine. To do so, I couldn’t send the dish without saying what’s behind it, how it’s done with Middle Eastern techniques alone. As we don’t have this experience now, I believe this would be lost,” explained Caffarena. Thus, he started fast-tracking a different project.
Bye bye, stereotypes
With his partner Talita Silveira, the chef started Make Hommus amid the pandemic. The business was launched on the International Hummus Day on May 13. “When we talk about Arab food, people tend to focused on Syrian and Lebanese cuisine, which is reductive,” he pointed out, adding that on his visit to Lebanon he was faced with different realities. While in Beirut it was hard to find traditional dishes, the port city of Byblos saw him discover the fish kibbeh.
His studies and experiences lead Caffarena to keep rediscovering different Arab cuisines. “When I planned Make Hommus and Firin, I put all these [stereotypes] aside and drafted the research work, searching for ingredients. Since I’m in Brazil, I have to use things from here to be sustainable, but I use much of philosophy and techniques developed there. For example, when I went to Morocco, I made a point of seeing how couscous was made,” stressed the chef, explaining the step by step of the process he saw in loco.
Make hummus with different techniques
And to confront the idea that dishes have a single origin, the Brazilian clarifies that in his restaurant the dip is above squabbles. “Make Hommus. Not War” alludes to the fact that the chickpea dip is an icon in Arab countries and other countries in the Middle East as well. But who created it, after all? “There’s a British historian who says that it’s silly to try to find a precise origin. For a long time, I kept trying to understand which people created which dish, too. You can find evidences of where it came from, but it’s a cultural melting pot,” he says, pointing out the changes that recipes go through across history and the contribution that different peoples give them, particularly in a region as old as the Middle East.
The cultural mix is seen in the hummus revenue the chef developed. “My recipe is vast. I studied techniques and ingredients used in Yemen, Lebanon and Syria, so I compiled these recipes and techniques,” he revealed. The restaurant specializes in the chickpea dip but serves other dishes such as a Levant kibbeh and an Iranian bread.
Pictured on top is a dish served in the house. The traditional hummus with a slightly spiced braised lamb sausage includes egg, roasted tomato, onions and sumac.
Another delicacy comes from the Gulf: the Loomi, or noomi basra, is a spice made from fermented dried lemon that can be used to flavor dishes and make tea. “You find it in the UAE, Yemen, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Iran. It’s from this very hot region. They take the lemon, ferment it, and leave it on the desert heat to dry. And it stays there until it dries and blackens. And they use it to make tea or as a spice,” he told.
To try to reproduce the conditions of the loomi process, the chef discovered the average temperature and humidity of the Sahara Desert. Then, he sought to emulate the conditions in his restaurant’s oven. “We tried to emulate the same conditions in the oven and left it there to dehydrate, and it was very good. The one from there is obviously better, but we’ll get there,” finished Caffarena
The restaurants are a way for the Brazilian to fulfill his dream. “I have a dream to show that the Arab food goes beyond the stereotypes we have here in Brazil. It’s very rich. Morocco, for example, is amazing, and has a different tone from the Levant. I want to visit all Arab countries. And I want Firin to be a way to change the perception on the Arab cuisine,” said Caffarena. Now, Make Hommus. Not War keeps focused on takeouts, Firin Salonu, which has been around since 2015, is waiting for the pandemic to end to resume activities, and the chef has other projects, too. “But these are for the future,” he said.
Quick Facts
Make Hommus. Not war
Lunch – Tuesday to Friday from 11am to 2:30pm/ Saturday from 12pm to 4pm
Dinner – Wednesday to Friday from 6pm to 10pm / Saturday from 7pm to 10pm
Orders via iFood app or WhatsApp (11)3864-8295
Translated by Guilherme Miranda
