Pakistan hopes to attract Middle East buyers as it holds Global Cuisine Show in Karachi

Pakistani chefs prepare food at the Global Cuisine Show in Karachi on August 9, 2024. (AN Photo)

• The show brings together chefs from 15 countries to prepare a diverse range of cuisines using Pakistani ingredients
• Official says the event is part of Pakistan’s ‘food diplomacy’ and aims to boost export of local ingredients, products

KARACHI: The Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) on Friday launched the second Global Cuisine Show in Karachi that showcased local ingredients and products in a bid to attract buyers from the Middle East and other parts of the world.
The three-day show is part of the TDAP’s International Food and Agricultural Exhibition 2024 and has brought together chefs from different parts of the world to prepare a diverse range of cuisines using Pakistani ingredients.
Culinary experts from Bahrain, South Africa, Egypt, Indonesia, Maldives and Singapore took turns on the first day of the event at Expo Center Karachi to create recipes from their respective regions using Pakistani ingredients and the dishes were then served to those in attendance from various parts of the world.
“The Middle East is a very important location for us because our diaspora is in the region. Our major chunk of Agro food exports goes to the Middle East,” TDAP Assistant Manager Iqra Ilyas told Arab News on Friday.
“We have around 200 buyers coming from the Middle East, Saudi Arabia and all over the Gulf. We are looking forward to having more response from our Middle Eastern brothers.”
Chef Zahra Hussain from Bahrain said she was “very excited” to be a part of the show, and was in awe of the kind people and high-quality ingredients she witnessed in Pakistan.
“This is my first visit to Pakistan but it feels very familiar and friendly to me, because there are a lot of Pakistanis in Bahrain,” she said. “They are very kind. But here, they are not only kind but friendly, lovely and helpful people.”
Hussain said she intended to prepare something from the Arab culture, particularly traditional Bahraini food.
“I want to prepare something sweet because in Bahrain when we love somebody, we give them sweets and coffee better than the main dish. I will make sago [halwa],” she said.
“It aligns with the culture of Pakistan and India. They use cardamom, saffron and rosewater. So, I have to get close to your culture to bring it closer to our culture.”
The first edition of the Global Cuisine Show took place around the same time last year and at the same location.
All of the ingredients used in the recipes prepared by a lineup of 15 international chefs are from Pakistan, according to the show organizers. The chefs have only brought the recipes with them.
Ibrahim Ghoush, a chef from Egypt who currently works in Saudi Arabia, decided to make American-styled chewy cookies at the global show.
“I have come here to make some kind of Egyptian and international [food]. I am a professional baker but since I don’t have enough time to execute something from an artisan bakery, I decided to make cookies. They come easy, fast and tasty,” he told Arab News, assembling ingredients for the recipe.
Ghoush is known for innovation in European-style baked items, while he has also researched on the ancient Arab bread.
While these foreign chefs offered cuisines from their respective regions, Pakistani food stalls remained a major attraction for foreign delegates in attendance.
“It’s a very good event for marketing our food and our culture, it’s sort of food diplomacy for us,” TDAP Assistant Manager Ilyas said.
“Our basic purpose is to enhance agro-export, trade and the Global Cuisine Show is one of the tools that will help us achieve it. It helped us last year as well. We did have a lot of queries from the buyers. We are very hopeful that this will pave the way for our future agro food trade.”