The 2026 "Brasil Sabor" food festival with the theme of "A Selecao da Cozinha Brasileira" officially opened on the 14th. The event, organized by the Brazilian Association of Bars and Restaurants (Abrasel), took place in various cities across the country, bringing together a number of restaurants to launch new dishes simultaneously, aiming to showcase the rich variety of flavor features, cooking techniques and local ingredients of Brazilian cuisine.

Covers 19 states and more than 400 restaurants participate

The association's head of content, Jose Eduardo Camargo, said hundreds of restaurants from 19 states took part in the event, the Brazilian state news agency reported.

He said:“The 'Brazilian Style' food festival is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, with more than 400 restaurants from more than 40 cities across the country participating. For customers, it's an opportunity to taste the special dishes they love at the restaurant. For restaurants, this is also a great opportunity to attract new customers and give back to old ones with excellent service.”

He said that each restaurant that signed up for the event carefully created an innovative version of an exclusive or classic dish for the event, incorporating creative ingenuity while preserving regional traditional flavors and highlighting the value of indigenous Brazilian ingredients. Many restaurants will also launch discount promotions during the event.

The state of Pernambuco is characterized by "tradition + innovation"

Food festivals in different regions have their own specialities. Among them, the scale of the event in Pernambuco is particularly impressive, with more than 60 restaurants registered, located in Recife, Popular tourist destinations include Olinda, Ipojuca (including the famous "Chicken Port" in the Bintarga district) and Fernando de Noronha. The wide coverage allows the festival to attract both tourists who seek a high-end boutique dining experience and local residents who frequent traditional pubs. The state's activities will continue until May 31.

One of the highlights of the Pernambuco State Food Festival is the boldness with which local chefs dare to innovate on the basis of traditional flavors. The dishes introduced this year can be seen as a "show window" for local specialities. Native ingredients such as dried beef (carne de sol), grilled cheese sticks (queijo coalho), sugarcane honey (mel de engenho) and bottled butter (manteiga de garrafa) dominate original dishes, alongside specialties such as Tucupi, octopus and the classic Bolo de rolo.

The menu is also rich, with everything from handcrafted burgers and boutique pizzas to modern fried rice and the traditional Brazilian "baked potato."

Multiple food festivals launch interactive activities and cooking demonstrations

In the Campinas Metropolitan Region (RMC), the Food Festival also kicked off on June 14 and will continue until June 14.Seven cities participated in the event this year, including Campinas, Americana, Araras, Holambra, Jundiaí, São Pedro and Valinhos.

A total of 23 bars and restaurants in the above-mentioned cities have signed up for the festival. The event incorporates elements of major sporting events such as the World Cup, in the hope of highlighting the importance of food as a symbol of identity and cultural pride.

In addition, other states have launched special events. In the city of Maceio, Alagoas, the capital of the state of Aragoas, the Maceio Shopping Center hosts the "Arena Gastronomica Brasil Sabor" (Arena Gastronomica) from 21st to 24th. During the event, several restaurant chefs will carry out live cooking demonstrations to the public, introducing the ingredients, cooking techniques and preparation process of the contested dishes.

The launch of new dishes during the Brazilian Flavour Festival is also a strategic market testing opportunity for restaurant businesses and chefs. Not only are they able to experiment with new tastes, inject innovative elements into their menus and promote local specialities, but they also get direct feedback from consumers. Many of the new products introduced during the event will eventually remain on the restaurant's official menu for a long time.