Esfirras are one of the typical dishes from Arab culture introduced into Brazilian cuisine and which have become very popular here. This esfirra tradition began centuries ago in the Iraq region. But Arab culture encompasses culinary traditions that span several other countries, such as Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Morocco, Palestine, Syria and many others – in total, there are 22 countries that make up Arab territory. Dishes such as the famous chickpea paste, Hummus, or the meat and vegetable “sandwich”, Kebab, and the delicious dry curd have won a place in the hearts of Brazilians.
At the iFood, the success of Arabic food is guaranteed. We compared some statistics from the first half of 2020 with the first half of 2021 and discovered how this cuisine has been growing, especially among small and medium-sized entrepreneurs. Since then, iFood has recorded an increase of 46% in the number of restaurants offering Arabic food, with 83% made up of small and medium-sized companies. The reason for all this growth is also the demand for Arab delicacies. The number of orders for Arabic food grew by 56% on the app. The number of small and medium-sized companies offering Arabic dishes rose by 31% in the first half of this year, compared to the same period last year.
Another very interesting piece of information is that Arabic food seems to have a more special moment in the lives of Brazilians. This is because research indicates that the day of the week with the most orders is Friday (“Friday” with Arabic food). But weekend dinners also tend to be times of the day with a high volume of orders. Among the most successful options, first and foremost, of course, is the one we mentioned at the beginning of this article: esfirra. Esfirra is the most sought after Arabic item on iFood, followed by kibbehs, dishes that contain meat, such as the kebabes already mentioned, sandwiches and beiruts.
