The Embassy of Pakistan in Beirut (Lebanon), as part of celebrations of 70th anniversary of Pakistan's Independence Day, has organized a 6-days (15-17 July) food festival titled "Gastronomic Delights of Pakistan" at Phoenicia Intercontinental) Hotel Beirut. The event was inaugurated by Ambassador Aftab khokher along with the former Prime Minister H.E. Mr. Fouad Siniora, Minister for Culture H.E. Mr. Ghattas Khoury, Minister for Social Affairs H.E. Mr. Pierre Abi Assi, Mr. Fadi Fawad, Advisor to Prime Minister Saad Hariri and Mr. Fouad Makhzoumi, a leading businessman and philanthropist.


The event has been organized in collaboration with Serena Hotel Islamabad which provided two top chefs Mr. Abdul Saeed and Mr. Raj Wali Khan.


A large number of ambassadors, Lebanese businessmen and food lovers attended the opening ceremony. Hotel Phoenicia will continue to serve Pakistani cuisine at lunch and dinner till 28 August 2017.


Mrs. Afshan Khokher, wife of Ambassador, delivered opening remarks. She said that Pakistani food was like a painting having a palette of the world's greatest ingredients and cultural passion for great eating. She said that Pakistani food was a refined blend of various regional cooking within Pakistan and traditions of South Asian and Central Asian cuisines.


The Ministers and other speakers appreciated the initiative of introducing Pakistani food to the Lebanese people as it would help to further strengthen relations between the two countries.

Ambassador Khokher, in his concluding remarks, stated that the food festival was a medium to bring people of the two countries closer to each other. He said that the exhibition had opened another chapter in bilateral relations between Pakistan and Lebanon

Source: NNA