'Masmouta', ancient fish recipe enjoyed for Eid
Location: Basra, Iraq
This is how to cook an ancient Mesopotamian recipe
It’s called masmouta
Cooks dry seasoned fish for ten days
Coarse sea salt helps keep the fish whole
Then, the fish is cooked into a soup
It is traditionally eaten on the first day of the Muslim holiday, Eid al-Fitr
Eid al-Fitr marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan
(SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) 60-YEAR-OLD 'MASMOUTA' SELLER AT BASRA MARKET, SAID FADEL, SAYING:
"Most people want 'masmouta' at the beginning of the Eid. Why then? Because they have low level of salts, so this compensates for a whole month, so they eat it on the day of Eid early morning."
The recipe is believed to have been passed through generations
Today, it’s prepared with a special curry using Indian spices