Our apologies! We mistakenly sent out last Friday’s newsletter earlier today. And now for your Monday (17) news:
Lebanon will be the theme of São Paulo samba school Império de Casa Verde’s 2020 Carnaval parade. The school’s parade designer Flávio Campello (pictured) travelled to the Arab country this month seeking inspiration. The idea for the theme came up in conversations the school's directors had with Lebanese-descendant friends. This will be Casa Verde’s first-ever samba tribute to a country. “As we learned a bit about Lebanon’s history, we were fascinated,” vice president Fábio Leite told ANBA's Isaura Daniel.
And Japanese restaurant Sushi Hiroshi, in São Paulo, is adding Arab spices to the menu. Dates made in the UAE are being used in a sushi dish and a drink. The suggestion came from businesswoman Julia de Biase, a patron who distributes Date Crown product by company Al Foah, in Al Ain. “It was a perfect match, because it’s a desert sushi, which we didn’t have and many (Japanese) restaurants don’t have it either. It’s different. And it goes well with the drink,” said sushiman Julio Ogawa.
And Egyptian brands got in touch with Brazilian importers at the Fispal Food Service expo last week in São Paulo. The Arab companies were represented by Egypt's Economic and Commercial Office in São Paulo, which had a stand at the trade show in partnership with the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce. “We had great feedback from people on the Egyptian brands. Most of the were from smaller businesses, like restaurants and coffeeshops,” Office chief Mohamed Elkhatib told ANBA’s Thais Sousa.