Masgouf on Abu Nawas Street

Masgouf is the Baghdad dish: a large carp, traditionally from the Tigris, split down the back and opened flat, seasoned lightly, then staked upright on skewers in a ring around an open fire of apricot or similar wood so that it cooks by radiant heat for an hour or more, and finished skin-down on the embers with tomato and onion. It is eaten with the hands, with flatbread, pickles and amba. Abu Nawas Street runs along the east bank of the Tigris and is lined with restaurants doing it, tanks of live fish at the front, fires burning outside, tables on the terraces facing the water. Evening is when it happens. The street is named for the eighth-century poet and has been rebuilt and reopened in stages.

What you actually see

• Fish staked round the fire - carp propped upright cooking by radiant heat.
• Apricot wood fires - the open hearths on the pavement.
• Riverside terraces - tables along the Tigris in the evening.
• The whole ritual - long cooking, shared plates, bread and pickles.

When to go

November to March for comfortable evenings outdoors; Baghdad summers make riverside dining uncomfortable until late. Evenings are the time; the cooking takes an hour or more, so it is not a quick meal.

Honest expectations

Masgouf takes a long time to cook and is ordered on arrival, so a meal runs to two or three hours. The fish is large and priced by weight, which can surprise. Carp is bony and muddy in flavour to some palates. River fish sourcing varies and much is now farmed.

Nearby

The Qishla and Mutanabbi Street lie north along the river.