Restaurants and bars get ready to go nuts for Brazil

 
Laura Chesters4 April 2014

London’s restaurants, shops and bars are preparing for a surge in demand for all things Brazilian ahead of the World Cup in June and the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Dishes such as feijoada (black bean and meat stew) and Brazilian-style barbecues known as churrascarias are on the menu — as well as energy drink Guarana, Brahma beer and caipirinhas, the national cocktail.

Restaurant chain Cabana, which has branches in Westfield, Covent Garden, Islington and Wembley, is seeking seven more sites in the next 18 months. Founder Jamie Barber said: “People are intrigued to discover Brazil in greater depth over and above Pelé and carnival dancers.” Barber said he is launching a Brazilian pop-up restaurant in Covent Garden in June and had been commissioned to write a Brazilian cookbook. Restaurant expert Edmond Schama at Shelley Sandzer said: “Groups such as Rodizio Rico, Rodizio Preto and Cabana are expanding and we expect the number of independent Brazilian restaurants to also increase.”

Tesco has reported sales of Brazilian produce are up by more than 40 per cent since the start of the year. It has 50 Brazilian food and drink items in 80 stores within the M25. Tesco Brazilian range buyer Bogdan Baldovin said: “We think that customer interest will rocket by as much as 100 per cent as the World Cup progresses.”

Gabriel Gaya, MD at the UK’s biggest supplier of Brazilian food and drink, Gaya Foods, said: “The World Cup and the Olympics will generate an increase in demand for Brazilian food across Europe, but particularly in London. We are noticing some mainstream restaurants adding Brazilian dishes to their menus already.” Gaya’s customers include Tesco and Covent Garden nightclub Guanabara.

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