Belém was the stage, on August 28 and 29, 2025, for the first International Symposium on Amazonian Gastronomy (SIGA). Held in the auditorium of the Institute of Applied Social Sciences (ICSA/UFPA), the event, which was supported by the Association of Amazonian Universities (UNAMAZ), brought together chefs, researchers, specialists, and representatives of national and international entities around the theme "Regional Gastronomy and Sustainability," in line with the global debates preceding the UN COP30, scheduled for November, also in the capital of Pará.
Organized by the Brazilian Academy of Gastronomy (ABG), in partnership with the Federal University of Pará (UFPA), the symposium consolidated a space for dialog between different areas of knowledge. Among the participants, notable names included Claude Fischler (France), Per-Olof Berg (Sweden), Sidiana Macedo (UFPA), Marcos Miguel (UFRJ), chefs Telma Shimizu, Renata Cabrera, Gabriel Sola, Denise de Oliveira e Silva, Morena Leite, Paulo Machado, Silvio Barros, as well as the Spaniard Rafael Ansón Oliart, honorary president of the International Academy of Gastronomy,
who participated via videoconference.
The opening was attended by academic and institutional authorities, including Silva Helena Cruz, director of FACTUR/UFPA; Mariel Mello, president of CODEM;
José Luiz Borges, president of ABG; and José Seixas Lourenço, president of UNAMAZ. In his speech, Lourenço highlighted his journey in strengthening the internalization and internationalization of academia, as well as the creation of the Department of Tourism, with a focus on gastronomy. He also emphasized the importance of cooperation for the development of scientific and technological projects in the Amazon region, highlighting the role of international collaboration and the
strengthening gastronomy as a multidisciplinary thematic area.
José Luiz Borges, president of ABG, emphasized that gastronomy is increasingly consolidated as a multidisciplinary field, involving social sciences, agriculture, health, and culture, and that the symposium was essential to promote this scientific approach.
The program included keynote lectures, round tables, talks, and presentations of scientific papers on topics such as sustainability and market, cultural heritage, Japanese-Brazilian cuisine, gastronomic routes, internationalization of Brazilian cuisine, and experiences from UNESCO Creative Cities of Gastronomy — including Belém, Belo Horizonte, and Florianópolis. One of the highlights was the panel on pan-Amazon cooperation, with representatives from ABG, UNAMAZ, and OTCA.
The voices of the symposium
The voices of the symposium
On the second day, the testimonies reinforced the importance of the event:
• Gustavo Braga highlighted that the symposium was "a memorable event," praising the quality of the debates and the relevance of it taking place in Belém, a city that is at the center of international attention with COP30.
• José Luiz Borges, president of ABG, considered the meeting "exceptional," emphasizing that it brought new perspectives by showing gastronomy not just as a pleasure of eating, but as a field connected to culture, society, and development.
• Álvaro Espírito Santo, president of the Academy of Gastronomy of the Amazon, announced that the next international symposium will be held in Hong Kong in 2026. He also informed that, after the experience in Belém, the International Academy of Gastronomy adopted the name "International Gastronomy Symposium" for all its events worldwide.
• Nazaré Imbiriba, executive secretary of UNAMAZ, stated that the entity is open to cooperating on projects related to sustainable development and the appreciation of Amazonian cuisine, highlighting the immeasurable richness of the region's food biodiversity.
• Chef Morena Leite, a Bahian with strong ties to Pará, valued Amazonian ingredients and emphasized that regional cuisine is fundamental in the process of internationalizing Brazilian gastronomy.
• For Gisele, a participant of the symposium, the event was "praiseworthy" and highlighted the need to increase the participation of Amazonian universities and students in future editions. She also valued the Belém Charter, the final document that reaffirms gastronomy as an instrument of sustainable development.
The closing was marked by the official reading of the Belém Charter and a technical visit to Combú Island, where participants learned about sustainable extractive practices and tasted artisanal chocolates made with Amazonian cocoa.
Legacy
SIGA 2025 highlighted that Amazonian cuisine goes far beyond flavor: it is cultural identity, an instrument of international cooperation, and a vector of sustainability.
The holding of the symposium in Belém, on the eve of COP30, projected the city and the Amazon region as global references in gastronomy and sustainable development.