How Rio de Janeiro Fell in Love with the Bagel

It's an unlikely success story from Brazil's current economic crisis: the simple bagel.

The country may have fallen into recession amid a 1.9 percent shrinking in the economy but bagels are enjoying a boom. As an artisan product with a relatively low price tag, a new wave of Rio de Janeiro food trucks have found success selling the New York-inspired sandwich.

One such Brazilian bagel-slinger is The Baguel Store.

Shortly after opening in Rio's Copacabana neighbourhood two years ago, owner Jorge Jacob built a bagel trailer to take his homemade bread to the city's less affluent areas

And, as an unusual alternative to the usual Brazilian street food, it hit the mark.

"Bagels are a New York product, something people don't really think about here," Jacob says. "But now, most people have been abroad, travelled, and recognise them."

Inside The Baguel Store's wooden-look caravan is the bakery where chefs make onion and sesame bagels—with a Brazilian twist.

"We always try to give everything a Brazilian element. New York bagels are made with a malt syrup that you can't get here," Jacob adds. "So we use Brazilian artisan beer."

As well as the mainstay fillings—cream cheese and smoked salmon—Jacob's bagels also come packed with a "misto" or mix of turkey breast and melted cheese. The dough is also given a Brazilian kick with sweet and acidic biquinho peppers.

For customers used to simpler, meat-based snacks like sun-dried, beef-filled tapioca crepes, and deep fried shredded chicken dough drumsticks, Rio's response to the bagel has been surprisingly positive.

"I went to check it out yesterday, I loved it," Luciane Coelho wrote on the store's Facebook page. "Great service and perfect cream cheese with salmon sandwich. Only one suggestion … maybe think about a stronger meat like round steak because not everyone eats raw salmon or turkey breast."

Typically under 20 Brazilian real (around £3 or $5), Jacob says his bagels are among the cheapest food truck sandwiches in the city and the mobility of the trailer means he can offer differentiated prices for low income areas. Thanks to this strategy, The Baguel Store's best sales are in neighbourhoods in the north of Rio, far from the more fashionable beach districts of Ipanema and Copacabana.

"The north zone is where we have most movement," Jacob says. "In Rio, the best restaurants are in the south zone, where high rent makes it very expensive. It's difficult for people to offer a lower price and for people who don't have much money—they can't come often and generate repeat custom. Food trucks allow people to go to different neighbourhoods and offer a differentiated price."

By their own estimates, The Baguel Store was among the first 20 food trucks in Rio, but it is now one of dozens of mobile restaurants selling a range of gourmet options including specialty pizzas, burgers, and pork sandwiches.

The rise of food trucks lead the City Hall authorities to set out regulations including defining public spaces where food trucks can park. There are currently 84 food truck points across 24 neighbourhoods in the city.

In August, tourism secretary Antonio Pedro Figueira de Mello explained the local government's approach: "We have been dedicated to regulating food truck activity so that the result is good for the entrepreneur, for the locals, for the tourist, and the city as a whole. We seek areas where there was no established gastronomic activity in order to fill gaps in those neighborhoods with a low supply of bars and restaurants."

According to market research firm Euromonitor, the mobile food sector in Brazil really began to grow last year after the explosion of Mexican ice lolly stalls in Rio, with sales were expected increase by almost 20 percent by this year.

Researcher Angélica Salado explained: "Trucks' positive performance is a result of curiosity among those who have not yet tried eating at them, the impact of the economic situation, a desire to spend less when eating out and the increasing presence of such trucks all around major cities."

Another factor in the city's food truck boom has been the increase of gastronomy fairs bringing dozens of food trucks, bikes, and stalls together at the same event. Speaking at such a gathering organised by arts and hospitality collective O Cluster, Jacob says it acts as a useful platform for new creations.

"We use Cluster to experiment," he says. "We've participated in events for two years."

At the most recent Cluster event, The Baguel Store served Harley, Williamsburg, Chelsea, and classic bagels, as well as another New York favourite: red velvet cake. Jacob's also unveiled his black velvet version, made with the deep purple Amazonian berry, açai.

Since winning over the Rio market, The Baguel Store now has plans to take bagels across Brazil.

"We have expansion plans," says Jacob. "When we built the food truck, it was a novelty. But it's selling well. I'm very happy."