Mexico’s 40 gastronomic ambassadors — restaurants

As Mexico’s diverse culinary array is attracting people of other nationalities to its culture, 40 Mexican restaurants in the UAE act as “permanent cultural ambassadors of Mexico”, a top diplomat told Gulf News.

They are a meeting point of Mexicans and their friends, said Francisca Mendez, the Mexican Ambassador to the UAE.

Mexican food is as diverse as its regions and its popularity made the first Mexican gastronomy week last year a great success [held at Emirates Palace as part of the last year’s Mexican Independence Day celebrations]. “It not only attracted Latin Americans, other Spanish speaking people and Emiratis but people of all nationalities in the UAE also. We expect more visitors to this year’s event [from yesterday to 21st at Emirates Palace],” Mendez said.

Unesco has recognised Mexican cuisine as an Intangible Cultural World Heritage, she pointed out.

The Mexican restaurants in the UAE carry that cultural heritage. El Sombrero restaurant at Sheraton Corniche in Abu Dhabi and María Bonita in Dubai are the oldest ones among them, the ambassador said. The spokespersons of these two restaurants told Gulf News that their customer base among people of other nationalities is growing day by day.

More than 20-year-old El Sombrero in Abu Dhabi has only part of its clientele from Mexico and Latin America.