Pakistani ‘Food and Mango Festival’ a huge hit

The second Pakistani Food and Mango Festival, being held at the Riyadh Palace Hotel under the auspices of the Embassy of Pakistan, is attracting huge response.
Ambassador Muhammad Naeem Khan, who inaugurated the fest, said: “We held this food festival last year also and received overwhelming response. Encouraged by that, we have included the popular varieties of mangoes of Pakistan this year.”
The five-day festival includes such varieties of mangoes as chausa, dasehri and sindhri.
“We have also tried to bring a representative sample of Pakistani cuisine to the Kingdom for the culinary delight of Saudi and international friends,” Khan said, adding that Pakistani chef Muhammad Farooq has been invited for food preparation.
He said that the Pakistani cuisine “is a delicious blend of cuisines from several regions and civilizations. It has combined local eating habits and food with those from Arabia, Iran, Afghanistan, Central Asia and the Ottoman Empire.”
Rich, spicy and highly seasoned cuisine from Punjab, Kashmir and Sindh are included in the food festival, besides barbecues, sheesh kebabs, mutton, chicken karahi, chapli kebab and mutton biryani, among others.
“I hope that the event will also provide an opportunity to entrepreneurs from Pakistan and Saudi Arabia to explore business opportunities as well. There is scope for collaboration in various areas, including the food sector,” Khan said. Waseem Hayat Bajwa, commercial attache at the Pakistan Embassy, told Arab News, “We want to promote Pakistani cuisine in the Kingdom.” He said that the Saudi-Pak trade relations will also be boosted by the festival.
Dr. Saud Hamood, secretary-general of the Saudi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI); Alaudein Al-Askari, former chief of protocol; Abdul Aziz bin Ibrahim Al-Ghadeer, ambassador of Saudi Arabia to Pakistan; Abdullah Yusaf, chairman of Al-Durri Company; and Saudi importers and businessmen, attended the festival.