Brazil has highlighted Expo 2020 participation in the diplomatic community over culinary delight. Brazil’s Ambassador to the UAE, H.E Fernando Igreja, showcased Brazil’s participation in Expo 2020 Dubai to the diplomatic community in Abu Dhabi at an exclusive luncheon session, serving some of Brazil’s signature dishes prepared by the acclaimed chef, Geraldo Thomazini, with the verve and passion he is known for in his scrumptious culinary skills.
At the session, the Ambassador highlighted the diversity of the country’s cuisine, culture, food products, tourism, and investment potential, while guests dined on a six-course meal that began with charcoal cassava and ended with the Shakespearean-themed dessert Romeu & Julieta, all served in a contemporary style and ambience.
The course was enthralled by guests, which included smoked eggplant seasoned with Valencia juice, garlic, basil, crisp spring onion, Crab Cake over charcoal tapioca bread, and Acaraje stuffed with prawns, a specialty of Bahia in northeastern Brazil, and Baiao with picanha steak at the penultimate course.
“The idea was to take the guests through an experiential journey on Brazil’s participation at the Expo 2020 Dubai while they savour and enjoy our eclectic dishes, served with the right look and feel,” the Ambassador said, while presenting the Brazil pavilion’s unique water and nature-themed design elements, reinforcing the South American country’s focus on sustainability.
Guests were also served Brazilian Caipiras throughout the lunch, which the chef prepared one by one. The cool Brazilian national beverage Caipirinha was also served to wash down the cuisine.
On the Brazil pavilion, the Ambassador said it has been conceived and built as if floating on water. “The central square will be covered in a thin layer of water and enclosed by a tensile structure covered in a white fabric which will be used as a projection board to provide a sensory experience of the country’s diverse landscape,” he said.
Brazil’s participation in Expo 2020 Dubai aims to strengthen the country’s strategic bilateral trade, investment, and cultural ties with Arab and South Asian countries, he said, noting that the focus will be on two-way trade and investment, tourism, food products such as meat and poultry, commodities such as sugar and coffee, as well as reinvigorating cultural ties with these countries.
