River fish, cleaned, heavily salted, and sun-dried, keeping for weeks. A powerful, salty, almost fermented taste — eaten in small bites with plenty of bread and onion.

Why this dish? Master of Egypt, Amr discovered a country where the Nile teems with fish. To preserve them in the heat, they were salted and dried — an immemorial river technique that fed the garrisons of Fustat between catches. The conqueror tasted a flavor unknown in the Arabian desert.

In Arabia, we knew dried meat of the desert; but here, the Nile gives fish in abundance, and the river people know how to keep it. They cover it with salt, leave it in the sun, and it keeps for lean days. Eat little at a time, with much bread and an onion — for this dish is strong, and the wise man knows the measure of what God has given him.

How it was made : Fish preservation by salting and sun-drying is attested on the Nile since ancient Egypt; fermented fessikh (long-salted mullet) is the heir of these techniques and remains associated with the spring festival of Sham el-Nessim. In Amr's time, salting provided protein reserves for garrisons and low-water periods. Traditional long fermentation requires precise know-how — hence the cautious, cooked modern adaptation offered here.

The contemporary twist : Serve the salted fish flaked in small bites on grilled bread, with sweet onion and a drizzle of cumin oil: a 'Nile tartine' that safely evokes the flavor of Fustat's pantries.

Amr ibn al-As · Charactorium