Source: Atlas Obscura
Every year on the day after Coptic Orthodox Easter, Egyptians of all religious backgrounds head outdoors to celebrate Sham el-Nessim. Loved ones congregate around picnic spreads and enjoy the spring air, saturated as it is with the delicate aroma of flowers, along with the sour odor of a fermented fish called fesikh.
To prepare fesikh, uncooked gray mullet is laid out to dry under the sun. Next, cooks place it in a wooden container and submerge it in extremely salty water for several weeks.
Usually, the high concentration of salt renders the fish safe to eat. However, when it’s prepared with inadequate salt or with undried fish, botulism and other bacteria can thrive. This was the case in 1991, when 18 people died from consuming the dish.Despite how unusual or dangerous fesikh may seem to Western European and American palates, people have been preparing and consuming similar dishes, such as ancient Rome’s garum…