The translation is not perfect, but you get the point. Arab food is totally mainstream in South America.
Of course, we in America know it as pita bread; but how often do you see Pita Bread commercials on American TV apart from some local bakeries or franchise restaurants. What is interesting is that they call it Arab bread; and that is advertised as such by a transnational conglomerate like Bimbo.
The commercial was from Colombia. Bimbo is a Latin American food giant.
Arabic Restaurant in São Paulo, Brazil.
Arabic food is mainstream. Lebanese Kibbe has been adopted by Brazilians as a typical Brazilian dish.
This is an Arab Restaurant in the Palermo district of Buenos Aires, one of Buenos Aires’ better neighbordhoods.
The restaurant’s name Al-Shark comes from Al Sharq which is Arabic for “the East.” It does not mean the man eating fish, shark, which in Spanish is tiburón.
August 07, 2012
Brazil has a population of 211 million people.
The official demographics for Arab-Brazilians is all over the place, however, there is a consensus that about 7 million Brazilians are of Lebanese extraction, alone.
Syrian-Brazilians are estimated to 3 – 4 Million, though I suspect that estimate is low.
One has to remember that Lebanese and Syrian Christians were persecuted by Muslim Arabs, and may refuse to identify as Arab.
Allowing for other Arab immigration, it is a fair guess to assume that Brazil may have an astounding 12 – 15 million people of Arab descent. This is about 6% of the population.
Almost all these immigrants were Christian at first, though recently, some Muslims have started to arrive.
The Arab influence on Brazil has totally affected their culture.
For example:
Kibbe, a Lebanese dish, is now considered Brazilian.
Brazil has had a president, Michel Temer, of Lebanese extraction.
Posted on YouTube: November 25, 2008
Arab cuisine is ubiquitous in Brazil. The Arab footprint on Brazil is very large.
However, because the Lebanese Christians tend to be suspicious of Islam, and because Brazil has a very large Evangelical community (which is pro-Israel), Brazil tends to be pro-Israel, and the Palestinian issue does not carry a lot of weight.