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My incredible whirlwind trip through the beautiful country of Iraq continued in the marshlands in the southern part of the country.
My day began at 5:30 in the morning. My friends from Bil Weekend, Tasos, and I would be heading off on a boat and heading to a private home deep in the marshlands to eat a traditional meal and village food feast we could only have there!
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We hopped into a motorized canoe with some cushions , and our host tied turbans around our heads, and then we set off across the water. This was completely different from anything we’d done in Iraq so far.
Along the way, we saw herds of water buffalos and saw fishermen fishing. Soon, we were riding past reeds and under bridges. Jafar told us that before the area was drained in the ‘90s, the marshes were home to lots of migrating birds traveling between Serbia and Africa.
We also passed a few houses and lots of sawgrass. The contrast between the marshlands and the desert cities we’d been visiting was amazing. Finally, after a 30-minute ride, we arrived at the home in the marshlands, which seemed to be made mostly of grass, including grass floors!
We took off our shoes and saw someone putting rice flour through a sieve and our host and a woman using patties of buffalo dung and kerosene to start a fire. He placed a stone on top, which is the surface they’d cook the bread on.
After the stone was hot enough, they removed it from the fire and poured the rice flour dough on it. Then, they put the charred dung on top of the dough to cook it! The bread came out very fluffy!
They set out a placemat for us outside and began plating geymar (buffalo milk cream), fresh cheese, and a mix of date syrup and tahini. The string cheese was so fresh and a little sour! It reminded me a bit of mozzarella. Then, they poured us some Iraqi chai!
We also had some fresh buffalo milk, chai with milk, and a second type of bread called samoon. The rice flour was tough on the outside and fluffy on the inside. It reminded me a bit of cassava bread.
Then, you eat the bread with the cheese, date syrup, and tahini. It’s a fantastic combination. The fresh, slightly sour cheese goes well with the sweet date syrup and nutty tahini. The chai was also very similar to Indian chai!
Then, I got the samoon bread and dipped it into the tahini and date syrup with the cheese. I loved it. The star of the show so far was the cheese. Then, I jumped on the geymar, which was really nice and creamy. I loved how fresh everything was!
After we finished eating, our host greeted us and officially welcomed us to their home. He wanted to share his culture, which has been passed down from their Sumerian forefathers. He wanted to show us how they eat geymar, tahini, and date syrup, and how they eat fish for lunch.
Then, our host sang a beautiful song for us! After that, I visited the hut where they sleep and a storage area where they kept bags of grain, rice, and containers of water. They also kept three adult water buffalo, two baby water buffalo, and a couple of cats.
It was true rustic marshland living in southern Iraq! The people were so kind, welcoming, and friendly, but just like that, our time with them was over. We hopped back onto the boat and rode back through the marshlands the way we came.
We passed lots of houses and other canoes on the way back. The marshlands were beautiful and reminded me of the Everglades in Florida.
Where have you been?
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About Me:
My name is David Hoffmann. Since starting David’s Been Here in 2008, I have traveled to over 1,300 destinations in 94 countries to experience and document unique cultures on my KZfaq channel, travel blog, and social media.
I highlight culture and historical sites, but my passion is food! I love to experience and showcase the different flavors each destination has to offer, from casual street food to gourmet restaurant dining.
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