Taste of a Nation (clip)

So we've talked about
how climate change

can mess with food supply,

but conflict can too.

Farmers flee, ports get cut off,

and bombs can devastate
the utilities that irrigate land,

and keep the water clean.

That's exactly what happened in Iraq.

And it's changing how people get
the key ingredient in their national dish.

(Tarek) For thousands of years,

these marshes have provided
the people of southern Iraq with fish.

Lots and lots of fish.

Carp has been the favorite here,

going back all the way to
when this area was part of Babylonia.

It is grilled and seasoned
to make masgouf,

which is now known
as Iraq's national dish.

Decades of war, invasion,
and political instability

have devastated the country's waterways.

But fish's place in Iraqi culture
is as strong as ever.

What has changed is how people get it.

TASTE OF A NATION

(Tarek) We are in the [Central] marshes.

It's four in the morning,

we're heading out with some fishermen
who use electricity to catch their fish.

It's an illegal form of fishing,

but it's one way for people to make money.

(Samer) This is the generator,
and this is the converter.

It outputs two cables, live and ground.

The ground cable goes into the water.

And the live cable
is attached to my net here.

So the power stuns the fish to my net,
and I scoop it.

(Tarek) Samer Kadhim comes to the marshes
five times a week for electrofishing,

a method his father taught him

that helps him to quickly catch
large amounts of fish at once.

Electrofishing is illegal
in most countries, including Iraq,

because it can destroy ecosystems
and already fragile fish populations.

(Tarek) What kind of fish
do you catch here?

(Samer) We fish carp,
tilapia, and boshbosh.

This is tilapia.

And this is boshbosh.

Since it's an illegal job,
aren't you afraid of getting arrested?

No, I'm not afraid.

The police have nothing to do with it.

They don't arrest you.

It's how we get our daily income.

There are four or five people
in each house,

a family.

We have God and fishing.

♪ And I sharpen them ♪

♪ the knives of time, I sharpen them ♪

♪ I sharpen them, and my father
never had mercy on me ♪

(Tarek) Abu Haider is a fisherman
and a tour guide.

He grew up in the marshes,

watched them changed,

and in the '90s mourn their loss.

That's when then president
Saddam Hussein drained the marshes--

the Middle East largest wetlands--

as a military strategy
to control his opposition.

Water returned to the marshes in 2003,
but it wasn't the same.

(Abu Haider) When we lived here,
the area was not like this.

The water was sweet.

We didn't filter the water,
and drank directly from the marsh.

If everything remains as it is,

what do you think would happen

in the marshes and its life in the future?

The first shortage will be in fish.

The fish resources will dry out.

(Tarek) Pollution has made losing fish,
or at least one safe enough to eat,

a very real and looming threat.

But, for now, fish is savored,
especially when it comes to masgouf,

and preparation is taken very seriously.

(Abu Haider) So, let's get them
in the the dishes.

Be careful. Don't burn your hand.
Turn it upside down.

Move it like this.

(Tarek) This is marshland fish.

(Abu Haider) Marshland fish.

(Tarek) Very tasty.

How much has the taste
of this fish changed

in comparison to fish back in the day?

The days in the past were better.
In the '80s.

In the '80s, the water
was clean and clear.

It was tastier than this fish.

(Tarek) The water from the marshes
flows south to Basra, Iraq's fish capital.

The quality of water here got so bad,

that in 2018, more than 100,000 people
were hospitalized

with symptoms related
to contaminated water.

Widespread protests broke out against
what people believe caused the crisis--

government negligence and corruption.

The situation did little to change
Basra's reputation for fish,

but restaurants have had to adjust.

[Mata'am Ma'a Shaari] is one of the city's
most popular spots,

and specializes in masgouf.

We usually bring the fish
and every day is fresh.

This is actually raised in ponds,
it's not really from the river, you know.

(Tarek) They've turned away
from wild caught fish

in favor of those raised on farms,

which many owners see
as safer and more dependable.

This cutting method
is specific to masgouf.

You go from the head to the tail.

(Tarek) On a day like today,
which is Friday,

how many fish do you grill?

Well, around 80 or 70.

(Tarek) How important
is masgouf to Iraqis?

Masgouf has really specific importance,
to be frank with you.

It has a special taste, you know,

like even the time they spend
when they grow the fish,

it gives value to the dish.

So people love it.

(Tarek) All the factors that threaten
the country's fish

are not going away anytime soon.

But in some ways,
they've made fish more appreciated,

a way to feel connected to what Iraq is...

and has been.