Facts About Fesikh
Fesikh or fseekh is a traditional celebratory ancient dish. Consisting of fermented, salted and dried gray mullet of the genus Mugil, this saltwater fish lives in both the Mediterranean and the Red Seas. Fesikh is eaten during the Sham el-Nessim festival, which is a spring celebration from ancient times in Egypt.
Preparation
The traditional process of preparing Fesikh is to dry the fish in the sun before preserving it in salt. The process is quite elaborate, passing from father to son in certain families. The occupation has a special name in Egypt, fasakhani. Egyptians in the West have used whitefish as an alternative.
Hazard
Each year, reports of food poisoning involving incorrectly prepared fesikh appear in Egyptian periodicals, especially during the Sham El-Nessim festival, when locals consume this traditional pickled fish.
In April 2012, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency issued recalls for whole fesikh mullet, cut up fesikh mullet in oil, and whole fesikh shad that were sold from a store in Toronto. There were 3 reported illnesses associated with the consumption of the products, which may have been contaminated with Clostridium botulinum bacteria.
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