Marsa Matruh's Culinary Heritage

There are over 60 small-scale fishermen who fish in the shallow coastal waters and rocky inlets. The fishermen use 200-meter by 15-meter trammel nets to catch small fish.  

Because Matrouh’s main bay is protected from the open sea by a natural breakwater, there is an easy access to the sea for small, oar-powered vessels called feluccas.   

Salting is a preservation method that works with most relatively small fish species. The Bedouin usually use moza (bogue) because it is relatively cheap and locally available, fresh from the sea. 

Bedouin families eat fish on a regular basis. A selection or combination of grilled, baked, fried, and steamed fish may be served in a single meal. 

Extra fish stuffing is cooked as a side dish salata meshweya.

The Barki sheep is the most important animal raised in Matrouh. It is renowned across the Middle East and North Africa for its meat.

Its wool is used in traditional carpet weaving. 

While the Bedouin of Matrouh are now, for the most part, sedentary, pasturing livestock is still central to their culture. 

In Matrouh, barley couscous is eaten with savory and meat dishes, most popularly with Barki sheep meat. Sheep meat would also be dried, and turned into Gideed. The Gideed could store for months throughout the winter, and be quickly rehydrated and cooked in a crushed barley stew.

A typical Matrouh dish is barley couscous made by crushing the barley using a traditional stone mill. Barley is more widespread as wheat production doesn’t do as well in cold weather. 

A favorite Kirsha, lamb stomach, is a rich stew that incorporates leftover vegetables such as peas, pumpkin, zucchini, or carrots.   

Over the years, changing climates have resulted in droughts that have reduced Barki sheep raising by 50%. In parallel the growth of Matruh as a developing holiday destination has increased a demand for other foods and in the 80s the first large scale chicken farm was built.    

Red rice and chicken have now become a regularity in Bedouin traditions, along with their increased involvement in the fishing sector.