At last week‘s climate and finance summit in Paris, there was little to report politically, however, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva added his own bitter aftertaste: according to reports, he blasphemed on his YouTube channel about the food he was served  during his visit to the French presidential palace. And it’s not just the French hospitality that was in his sights, Lula also criticised the Italian cuisine when he visited President Sergio Mattarella in Rome.

Lula was apparently unhappy in Paris about the meals being too refined, and not knowing exactly what he was eating. “Outside Brazil, you don‘t find things like this very often. Everything is very sophisticated there. And sometimes you don‘t even know what it is,“ Lula said, according to media reports in his home country. However, his request to serve feijoada at the state dinner was rejected by the Brazilian foreign service, the black bean and pork stew considered to be Brazil's national dish; it is unknown which dishes were served in Paris and Rome.

Lula also complained that the portions at the Élysée Palace and at the Italian president‘s residence were too small. “I had lunch with Macron and Mattarella,“ Lula said. “Two palace meals that were not great. The portions were tiny and the opportunity to get seconds was limited. I honestly can‘t get used to it. I need quantity. It may be gluttony on my part, but I like it when there‘s a lot.“