I have never seen anything like this recipe before and I must say that there is something too folkloric/mythological to this gargantuesque desert "barbecue"...
I mean, I know that some people eat camel and that's not really shocking to me, but just have a look at those quantities and then you'll have to pinch yourself in order to believe that it's true (Is it really? I must say that I doubt it is...): fourteen lambs, twenty chickens, hundred-fifty eggs, etc.., waow!!!And what do you think about the way it is prepared? Unimaginable! Am I dreaming or what?!?!?...
Have a look for yourself:
"Stuffed Camel"
From the Al Hasa cookbook -a more than 400 page compilation of recipes compiled by the women's groups, and published in 1976.
This recipe was given by Jo Waters of Abqaiq:
1 medium camel
4 lambs
20 chickens (roasted)
150 eggs (boiled)
40 kilos tomatoes
Salt and seasonings
Stuff eggs into tomatoes, stuff tomatoes into chickens, stuff chickens into lambs, stuff lambs into camel. Roast until tender
Serves 150 people."
~ Camel meat in Eid. ~Such a recipe really leaves me speachless and totally flabbergasted...
One thing I know for sure is that I would not like to be the poor cook who has to deal with all that meat!!! Imagine how dreadful that must be! With all this out of proportion cooking, I'd be exhausted and my appetite would simply disappear when seeing this nauseating orgy of dead bodies waiting to be processed (and I'm not a vegetarian)...
Of course, I respect other cultures and I can understand that this traditional (???) feast is surely prepared with much attention and reverence, but the sheer quantity just freaks me out!!!
What do you think? Would you like to see such amounts of carcasses and imagine them stuffed inside a camel? Is it an urban legend, a joke or reality (click here for more infos)? In any case, I really wonder if it's possible to put so much into a camel. I'm not sure about the accuracy of this recipe...
And as umimaginable as it can be, there are even more incredible (nothing close to reality/jokes) recipes ("Elephant Stew" for example, see here) circulating on the net!!!
Have you ever eaten camel meat? Could you tell me how it tastes?
(Morocco, Camel Train -Pic by www.phototour.org)
(Camel Meat -Pic by www.thoughtsacape.org)
No , I haven't eaten any Camel meat yet! I bet it tastes like chicken:D:D
ReplyDeleteBut when I was in New Orleans, I tasted a little bit of Crocodile but it did taste like chicken!!!
Good photos , Rosa:)
Tu es sure que ce n'est pas une blague?
ReplyDeleteFOODIE'S HOPE: I'm sure it tastes more like lamb :-D... Wow, crocodile! I'd like to taste that.
ReplyDeleteGRACIANNE: Je crois, vu les quantités gargantuesques et la drôle de manière de procéder! Mais la viande de chameau se mange...
J'ai rarement 150 personnes à dîner, alors je vais avoir du mal à réaliser ta jolie recette ;o) !
ReplyDeleteNon, sans rire, c'est une nouvelle légende urbaine, je pense. Enfin..., j'espère....
Alors passe une bonne soirée, avec sans doute un repas un peu plus léger!!!
Bises
hélène
Ça semble invraisemblable pour nous, mais il faut respecter les coutumes des autre n'est-ce pas..! Il doit bien y avoir de quoi nourrir une armée dans cette recette!!!
ReplyDeleteHi Rosa, I clouldn't help but laugh out loud at the ridiculous recipe :) It's darn funny!! I seriously doubt this is an authentic recipe...a camel isn't that big to have all these other animals inside him :D
ReplyDeleteAs for tasting camel meat, I've had it...and didn't like it much. I think my mom overcooked it a little and the meat was a little tough and fibrous...but if you want to know which meat to compare it to, I'll say beef is the closest.
what??!! only feeds 150 people?! ;p
ReplyDeletethe closest i have ever come to camel meat is sitting on the back of one of these beasts in israel & egypt. i think i'll pass on the stew though.
Peut-être l'ignorez-vous, mais dans le désert, il est rare de trouver des vaches! Les bédouins ont l'habitude de manger les chèvres, et les chameaux, animaux plus adaptés aux conditions climatiques.
ReplyDeleteJ'ai vu un documentaire à la télé justement où on célébrait un mariage et là, effectivement, on cuisine pour toute la tribu invitée! il est rare qu'une seule femme s'occupe comme dans le monde occidental de préparer un festin toute seule : c'est une activité collective où toutes les femmes participent.
suzanne
suzanne
HÉLÈNE: Moi de même! Je pense que cette recette est un peu tirée par les cheveux bien que, dans certains pays, le chameau se mange...
ReplyDeleteMISS DIANE: C'est aussi mon avis... Oui, il y en a de la nourriture!!!
NABEELA: Thanks for the comment and for passing by! I also doubt that this recipe is authentic as I don't believe a camel can get stuffed in that way!!! Bizarre, I would have thought that camel tastes more like lamb...
BUREKABOY: Where would I find so many people to feed ;-P! Your trip to Israel and Egypt must have been very interesting... I wouldn't mind tasting camel meat at least once in my life.
ANONYM: Merci pour votre visite. Non, je ne l'ignore pas du tout, mais cette recette et sa technique semble un peu bizarre... Peut-être ai-je tords et c'est pour cela que j'ai écrit ce post (afin de savoir).
Well, I wonder where I may find the ingredients for this recipe?? hehe.
ReplyDeletei live in egypt and i have camel meat in my freezer now.. i had some for eid holiday recently and just cooked some yesterday ..it is very delicious.. it taste like beef ..very close to it ..more tender, less fat inside it.. nice flavor.. i love it.. im just looking for a receipt to make it fancy vs boiling it or baking or frying it with salt and peper or onions or garlic.. trying to find other ways to serve it and found your site.. ha.. i think that receipt is a joke becasue how would u stuff lambs inside a camel.. whole.. ha.. and no one cooks so much food its a joke of course..
ReplyDeleteANONYMOUS: Thanks for passing by! Yes that recipe was a joke ;-P... I'd love to taste camel and I bet it has a wonderful flavor. Lucky you :-D! Cheers, Rosa.
ReplyDeleteThis is indeed weird food. I've heard about it for the first time a couple of weeks ago and thought I'd use it as the basis for one of my cat cartoons. One of my readers posted a comment with such an outrageous recipe and wanted to check if there was more stuff like that. That's how I found your site.
ReplyDelete