'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