From Lebanon To São Paulo State

(MENAFN- Brazil-Arab News Agency (ANBA)) São Paulo – As they say, when we can't find what we want, we make it ourselves. That's how the couple Priscilla Mariana and Alfredo Saab opened the Souk Nachar grocery store in Tatuí, São Paulo state, 139 km from the São Paulo city. Living in the city of 124,000 inhabitants since 2021, when they left Guarulhos due to the pandemic, they missed the Arab-origin products they were used to.

“We decided to open the grocery store here in Tatuí because we wanted to eat those things, and they weren't available around here. Not even in the supermarket. We couldn't find tahini, which is a rather simple product, or even good-quality olive oil. Spices, in general, were also hard to find, so every time we wanted something, we either had to go to São Paulo or Sorocaba,” says Priscilla, who, before starting the business, used to be a teacher and study psychoanalysis.

The couple chose Tatuí because it was the largest city on the route to Porangaba, a small town with just over ten thousand inhabitants where they have a farm. And since they were already in the entrepreneurial spirit, they decided to open the small market.“We thought that if nothing worked out, at least we'd have a big stock to eat later. After all, we already had to leave the city to buy these things anyway,” says the owner of Souk Nachar.

The name comes from“Souk,” meaning market in Arabic, and“Nachar,” a combination of the names of the couple's children: Ana Najla and Charbel. The youngest was baptized in Lebanon last year, named after the Maronite saint, the church the family attends. Alfredo Saab, Priscilla's husband, is a son of Lebanese immigrants who, upon arriving in Brazil, worked in commerce. His father was a peddler, his mother ran a clothing store, and later, in the 1990s, they had a snack bar inside the São Paulo Municipal Market. Saab had worked with his father and even ran his own snack bar in Guarulhos, so commerce and food were in his blood.

Tatuí is known as the“City of Sweets,” and in July, the Sweet Fair takes place. The Saab couple participated in the 2024 edition with their Arabic sweets and it was a huge success.“For sure, the ones with pistachios were the best sellers-and they were the most popular at every other stall because the nut is in high demand,” recalls Priscilla. The owners of Souk Nachar participated with traditional Arabic sweets like qatayef and burma, which include pistachios among other classic ingredients.

Most products sold at the emporium come from a Lebanese importer, as they insist on sourcing products specifically from Lebanon, not just any generic Arabic goods. What matters most, besides quality, is variety.“We never wanted to sell just one thing. We've always wanted to bring a little bit of everything. The concept of 'souk' comes from that idea, from the concept of a marketplace that can offer various things, not just food.”

They also sell dishes, such as shawarma, and options more familiar to Brazilians, like hot dogs and hamburgers, as well as some local sandwiches, like the“galinhão”-it looks like a hamburger, but is made with shredded chicken and ham.

Today, the store already has its loyal customers.“Our audience is quite specific because it's made up of people who like Arab food. There are a few curious ones, but in general, it's older people, 40 and up, always someone who says things like, 'My grandmother used to make this.' Younger people don't know much about our products-we were the ones who brought it to the city and innovated.”

Tatuí, like many cities in the state of São Paulo, also had Syrian and Lebanese immigrants, but their traditions, including culinary ones, may have been lost over time-or remained limited to descendants. Now, with Souk Nachar, the locals and people from the surrounding region can (re)discover the flavors of traditional Arab cuisine.

Contact:

Souk Nachar
Rua Onze de Agosto, 793 A – Centro – Tatuí – SP
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Read more:

Arab nations are food suppliers to Brazil

Report by Débora Rubin, in collaboration with ANBA.

Translated by Guilherme Miranda

The post From Lebanon to São Paulo state appeared first on ANBA News Agency .

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