Tigris Fish Salt-Cured with Cumin
River fish fillets rubbed with salt, cumin, and coriander, dried then lightly grilled. Salty and powerful, it keeps and travels — the king's ration on his quest through the lands at the edge of the world.
River fish fillets rubbed with salt, cumin, and coriander, dried then lightly grilled. Salty and powerful, it keeps and travels — the king's ration on his quest through the lands at the edge of the world.
When I left Uruk to seek life without end, I took no fresh meat — it rots before the first mountain. Fish, however, travels. Take the catch of the Tigris and Euphrates, open them, rub their flesh with salt and cumin, and entrust them to the sun and wind that harden them. Thus nourished, I crossed the twelve leagues of darkness of Mount Mashu. Salt preserves the flesh as memory preserves names — and that is all that remains against death.
- •River fish (carp, catfish) — several (base)
- •Salt — generous (preservation)
- •Cumin, coriander seeds — to taste (fragrance, preservation)
Tigris Fish Salt-Cured with Cumin
River fish fillets rubbed with salt, cumin, and coriander, dried then lightly grilled. Salty and powerful, it keeps and travels — the king's ration on his quest through the lands at the edge of the world.
Why this dish? Gilgamesh is the great traveler: he crosses the steppe, the Cedar Forest, the waters of death to reach Uta-napishti and seek immortality. For such a journey, one takes food that keeps: fish from the two rivers, dried and salted, the protein base of the Sumerians, who consumed dozens of species.
When I left Uruk to seek life without end, I took no fresh meat — it rots before the first mountain. Fish, however, travels. Take the catch of the Tigris and Euphrates, open them, rub their flesh with salt and cumin, and entrust them to the sun and wind that harden them. Thus nourished, I crossed the twelve leagues of darkness of Mount Mashu. Salt preserves the flesh as memory preserves names — and that is all that remains against death.
Ingredients (period version)
- River fish (carp, catfish) — several (base)
- Salt — generous (preservation)
- Cumin, coriander seeds — to taste (fragrance, preservation)
Ingredients
- Firm fish fillets (carp, trout, or mackerel) — 4 fillets (base)
- Coarse salt — 200 g (salting)
- Cumin seeds — 1 tbsp (fragrance)
- Coriander seeds — 1 tbsp (fragrance)
- Sesame oil — 1 tbsp (for final grilling)
Method
- Coarsely crush the cumin and coriander seeds.
- Coat the fish fillets with coarse salt and spices, lay them flat in a dish.
- Let cure for 12 to 24 hours in the refrigerator, turning halfway: the salt draws out water and firms the flesh.
- Rinse quickly, pat dry thoroughly, then let air-dry (or on a rack in the refrigerator) for half a day.
- When ready to serve, briefly grill the fillets skin-side down in a drizzle of sesame oil.
- Serve flaked over barley bread, with some fresh herbs.
How it was made : The Sumerians were great fish consumers: texts list dozens of species from rivers and marshes. Without refrigeration, fish was preserved by salting and drying — a universal method in antiquity — making it a reserve and travel food, traded and stored in temples.
The contemporary twist : Serve flaked as 'river rillettes' on warm barley flatbread, with a lemon zest — the Mesopotamian adventurer's ration in bistro style.
Sources : Jean Bottéro, The Oldest Cuisine in the World: Cooking in Mesopotamia, University of Chicago Press, 2004 · Sumerian lexical and administrative texts listing fish species
Gilgamesh · Charactorium