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.”
Pakistan hopes to attract Middle East buyers as it holds Global Cuisine Show in Karachi
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Pakistan hopes to attract Middle East buyers as it holds Global Cuisine Show in Karachi
- 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
Pakistan defense minister discusses regional, global developments with counterparts in Munich
- The high-powered meeting of government leaders, diplomats comes shortly before Russia’s war on Ukraine enters its fifth gruelling year
- Bruised by President Donald Trump’s comments, European leaders at summit have pledged to shoulder more of the burden of shared defenses
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif on Friday met his Italian and Albanian counterparts to discuss bilateral cooperation and regional and global developments on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, the Pakistani embassy in Germany said.
The high-powered Munich meeting of government leaders, diplomats, defense and intelligence chiefs comes shortly before Russia’s full-scale war on Ukraine is set to enter its fifth gruelling year.
Bruised by President Donald Trump’s designs on Greenland and his often hostile comments about America’s traditional bedrock allies, European leaders at the conference have pledged to shoulder more of the burden of shared defenses.
Asif met his Italian counterpart Guido Crosetto during the conference, running from Feb. 13 till Feb. 15, with both sides agreeing to enhance bilateral ties, according to the Pakistani embassy.
“Asif met the Defense Minister of Republic of Albania, Mr. Pirro Vengu, on the sidelines of the 62nd Munich Security Conference,” the Pakistani embassy said on X.
“Discussed matters related to enhancing bilateral cooperation in the wake of recent regional and international developments.”
The development came as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was set to address European leaders on Saturday as they try to step up their autonomy in defense while salvaging transatlantic ties badly strained under President Trump.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz acknowledged a “rift” had opened up between Europe and the United States, fueled by culture wars, but issued an appeal to Washington: “Let’s repair and revive transatlantic trust together.”
“In the era of great power rivalry, even the United States will not be powerful enough to go it alone,” said the conservative leader, who has ramped up defense spending in the top EU economy.
Macron said a new framework was needed to deal with “an aggressive Russia” once the fighting in Ukraine ends.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has been in Munich since Friday and meeting multiple allies, was expected to address the meeting on Saturday. No Russian officials have been invited.
Kremlin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky said he feared “a new cold war” between Europe and Russia in the coming decade, making reopening dialogue with Moscow essential.
“If it makes sense to talk, we are willing to talk,” said Merz, but he also charged that “Russia is not yet willing to talk seriously.”
