Arabic cuisine is known for the distinctive flavors of its typical regional spices, and between January 13th and 22nd, Clementina Bar e Ristoranti brings all the power of this gastronomy to the 'Festival Cozi'.'Arabian Night by Chef Tyales Veiga'. The complete menu was developed by the Food and Beverage team at the Center Convention and offers options for appetizers, main courses, and desserts that can be purchased for R$$130 per person.

Clementina, like Center Convention, is located in the Center Shopping complex, more specifically in the Mercure Hotel Plaza Shopping. The restaurant is open every day from 5 pm, and those who want to enjoy good Arabic food at the festival can already make reservations through the website. clementinabareristoranti.com.br.

Just like in 2022, this year the goal of the themed festival is to showcase the richness of cuisines from around the world to the public. The star this time is Arabic food, but last year the restaurant also offered special events for food lovers. Italian, Argentina e Mediterranean. The menu for this edition features meats, dairy products, spices, grains, and vegetables that are very common in traditional recipes. All of this is combined with modern techniques from contemporary gastronomy. 

Check out the delicious dishes that make up the Festival menu. 

The Festival offers a complete menu, meaning options for appetizers, main courses, and desserts. The goal is to promote a gastronomic journey and discovery through Arabic cuisine.

Chef Tyales Veiga, who is part of the Food and Beverage team at Center Convention, as well as Clementina, developed the menu together with the team. 

He explains how he developed the menu and worked with Arabic food. “This is a cuisine with a lot of personality and is a major highlight in the ancient culture of the Middle Eastern countries. Tabbouleh, stuffed grape leaves, and falafel, for example, are just a few typical dishes, but there are countless recipes that carry the mix of flavors, aromas, and ingredients of Arabic cuisine. In our Clementina gastronomic festivals, we always seek to explore this culinary richness and present our audience with dishes that people often don't know,” he emphasized.

Now, check out the delicious and rich Arabic foods that the public can enjoy at the Festival. 

Tickets

In total, there are three appetizer options, featuring different products and spices famous in Arabic cuisine. The recipes cater to both meat-eaters and vegetarians, with delicious meat-free options. Check them out:

• Manakish Bi Zaatar: It's a thin-looking bread with a crispy texture and a fragrant aroma of spices. This delicacy can be accompanied by different fillings and toppings. At the Festival, the public will be able to try a version with Zaatar, a A blend of spices used as a condiment, and very common in Syrian and Lebanese cuisine.
• Babaganoush: One of the most traditional dishes in Arabic cuisine, carrying much flavor and history from the peoples of the Middle East. It is... A salad made from mashed roasted or grilled eggplant with various spices, tahini, and lemon juice.
• Kibbeh Nayeh: In Brazil, this is one of the best-known Arab foods, and in a literal translation, it's raw kibbeh. A cut of beef, for example lamb, served raw and finely chopped, mixed with fine bulgur and spices..

Main courses

Now, for the main courses, lovers of Arabic food will also have three options of typical recipes that combine flavor, culinary techniques, and a lot of tradition. Furthermore, it's worth noting that these delicacies can be adapted to suit vegetarians as well. Check them out:

• Musakhan: nAt the Festival, one of the main course options is Musakhan, also known as muhammar. A delicious Palestinian dish with roasted chicken, onions, sumac (a reddish spice), allspice, and other special seasonings. This delicacy is served with taboon bread, which is slightly flattened and fermented.
• Mansaf: Another tradition when talking about Arabic food is this dish. Made with lamb cooked in a dry fermented yogurt sauce, it is served with rice and is one of the most popular delicacies in Jordan.
• Hashweh: Another main course option at the Festival features spices that are characteristic of Arabic cuisine, such as cumin, Syrian pepper, paprika, and cinnamon. The public will be able to sample a unique rice dish, adorned with meat, toasted walnuts, and raisins, and very aromatic and flavorful.

Desserts

Last but not least, the desserts! Arabic cuisine features many different sweet recipes, and for the 'Cozi Festival'...At the "Arabian Nights by Chef Tyales Veiga," two options were selected. The dishes are an excellent choice to end this gastronomic journey on a high note. 

• Baklava: The dessert options also carry on the tradition of Arabic food. Baklava is one of them. A type of pastry made with a paste of crushed nuts, wrapped in filo pastry and soaked in syrup or honey.
• Maamoul: Finally, a delicious A Lebanese dessert that is quite versatile. Made with semolina, milk, and butter, at the Festival it features a filling of dates and nuts..

Meet chef Tyales Veiga

Tyales Veiga has over 20 years of experience and has been at the helm of the Clementina kitchen since last year. At the restaurant, he oversaw and designed the menu for the Italian, Argentinian, and Mediterranean food festivals that took place in 2022. Tyales is a specialist in World Cuisines from Le Cordon Bleu Paris and a gastronomic chemist from Harvard University. The chef has also accumulated numerous culinary awards and participated in international gastronomic festivals, and worked for 12 years in restaurants in Galicia.

Arabic food: learn a little about the history of this cuisine.

You've probably already tried some Arabic food with these ingredients, haven't you? That's because the popularity of this cuisine is only growing in Brazil and around the world.

iFood, for example, a company that delivers meals via the internet, registered an increase of 46% in the number of restaurants registered on the platform that offer Arabic food.. 

After checking how the Festival will work, what dishes will be offered, and the popularity of this cuisine, let's learn a little more about it. The history of Arabic food and its characteristics.

When discussing the origins of Arabic food, as with other cuisines, it's difficult to pinpoint exactly when and how it emerged. However, it's commonly associated with the region of ancient Mesopotamia, between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Therefore, it's a cuisine that has always greatly influenced neighboring countries such as Persia, Crete, and Egypt.

We can say that it is a cuisine with a strong personality. The variety and use of different spices and seasonings is something that marks the dishes, from savory to sweet options. Finally, in general, it is a cuisine that makes extensive use of wheat, barley, dates, meat, rice, and dairy products, for example. 

Host your gastronomic event at the Center Convention or Clementina.

Get inspired by this incredible Arabic food festival, featuring the work of the Center Convention's Food & Beverage team, and host a gastronomic event with us! You can choose the Center Convention area, or the event space at Clementina.

Our team is ready to welcome you and support you in developing a unique event, featuring the best of gastronomy.

Contact us at (34) 3239-8300 or comercial@centerconvention.com.br

Want to schedule your event with us? Book a date by clicking here. HERE.