I Found the "Next Level" of Shawarma in Iraq!

0:00 What's it like to spend a day in the ancient city of Nineveh?

0:04 We'll visit Iraq's biggest fish market.

0:09 Woah.

0:08 Try the most unique and delicious local food.

0:11 Oh, that's the pure animal flavor.

0:14 Explore thousands of years of history.

0:17 And witness firsthand the resilience of this war-torn city.

0:22 And I couldn't believe what we [music] found.

0:25 Welcome to the city of Mosul in Iraq and we're about to go eat breakfast.

0:30 But first, I [music] think it's important that you know

0:33 a little bit about the foundation and the history of this city.

0:36 Well, first of all, it is Mosul is built upon

0:40 and surrounding the ancient [music] city Assyrian city of Nineveh,

0:44 which dates back thousands of years ago.

0:46 And yes, it is the city where God called Jonah

0:50 to come here and via getting swallowed by a giant fish,

0:54 he came to Nineveh and the city repented.

0:57 And from there, fast forward thousand years later,

1:02 it was also a very important city along the Silk Road.

1:06 And [music] then if we continue further down the road,

1:10 it was very sadly overtaken and controlled by ISIS from 2014 until 2017.

1:20 And so you will still see a lot of destruction.

1:24 The city has been through a lot.

1:26 That being said, Mosul [music] is a city that is uh resilient.

1:32 And so I'm here today to learn about the history.

1:35 And also, I want to find out how are the people and especially how is the food.

1:43 [music]

1:44 And we're starting with breakfast to eat a dish which is called lahmacun,

1:48 which is flatbread with meat on top.

1:51 And [music] they're baking it fresh.

1:52 This place is popular.

1:53 Uh it's a whole bakery here, too.

1:55 Really cool spot.

1:58 Okay, then.

1:58 It all starts with the dough and he's rolling it out into a really thin sheet.

2:04 And does a little spiral throw over here, keeping that dough nice and uh loose

2:10 with the flour so that it doesn't stick together.

2:12 Oh, and then he rolls it out again.

2:13 That's just the first stage of rolling.

2:14 Rolls it out again to make it bigger and flatter and thinner.

2:25 Okay, so he takes the dough, which has already been flattened out.

2:29 He puts on the meat mixture.

2:32 And then it goes directly into the oven.

2:36 Oh, the egg gets cracked on top.

2:40 Oh, and he does a he hand blends it and then directly into the oven.

2:59 Just getting a look into the bakery

3:01 here where they're just cranking it out non-stop.

3:04 Flattening out the bread, adding the meat mixture.

3:06 You can get it with an egg or without an egg on the paddle.

3:09 Then it goes, bakes for like 2 minutes in that roaring hot oven.

3:13 Oh, that feels actually quite good right now.

3:16 Uh and it just bubbles up cooking that meat

3:18 and that egg on top until it's perfectly golden, smoldering.

3:23 Oh, fresh batch ready to go.

3:25 Some people get it with the egg, some people don't.

3:27 Lots of people get it for takeaway as well.

3:29 Continual, non-stop.

3:33 Shukran.

3:33 And super friendly as well.

3:35 Super local spot.

3:37 Very friendly.

3:37 Oh, I can't wait to try it.

3:40 Okay.

3:41 Shukran.

3:42 You're welcome.

3:43 So, it comes to your table hot and fresh.

3:45 Oh, that's piping hot right out of the oven.

3:48 Steaming.

3:49 And that bread is so thin.

3:50 I'm going to just try to pick it up.

3:52 Maybe it's not a good idea to pick it

3:53 up cuz it's so thin and crispy on the edges.

3:58 Look at it.

3:58 You can almost see through the the bread.

4:00 It's so thin.

4:01 It's been patted out so thin with the meat mixture.

4:05 It's almost see-through.

4:14 Dough is crispy.

4:16 But I love how the dough is so thin.

4:19 And then it's absorbed with that meat minced meat.

4:23 And I think tomato's in there as well.

4:25 That has the acidity of tomatoes.

4:28 Oh, and some parts are more gooey, some parts are more crispy.

4:32 Let's just go in for that yolk.

4:34 That yolk edge Oh, yes.

4:36 Let the yolk run.

4:49 Yolk sauce never fails.

4:51 With the richness of the egg just curdled into the tender.

4:56 You also taste some onions in the meat mixture as well,

4:58 giving it a little bit of crunch.

4:59 And because it's cooked so fast and so hot, the onions still retain the crunch.

5:05 And I love how crispy that dough is.

5:09 But this is a dish that is popular around this region.

5:14 In Turkey, they have lahmacun, and there's various versions of around this area.

5:20 It's an ancient dish.

5:21 It's just a dish of dough and meat baked in a hot oven.

5:27 But it's so tasty until this until this day.

5:31 And it's also something that you have to try when you're in Mosul.

5:34 Okay, for the next bite,

5:35 let's comment and try some of this barbecue sauce on it.

5:38 The Iraqi barbecue sauce.

5:40 This is the same barbecue sauce used on the gas.

5:43 Okay.

5:45 Which is common on a lot of foods.

5:56 With the barbecue sauce that kind of tangy Worcestershire flavor.

6:04 Kind of that's it.

6:11 And then of course you have to have it with tea.

6:17 But what a cool spot.

6:18 So friendly, so local.

6:20 It's buzzing in the morning.

6:21 People here eating breakfast, hanging out, drinking tea.

6:25 I'm going in for that gooey center.

6:29 [music] Excellent.

6:39 [music] Breakfast was fantastic and nearby where we just ate,

6:42 we're going to walk around the market.

6:43 What's supposedly the biggest fish market in Iraq.

6:48 And again, we're on on the banks of the Tigris River.

6:51 So freshwater fish has been important in this region for thousands of years.

6:56 And already starting to see all the fish displayed.

6:59 Wow, it's a lot of fish.

7:01 Hello.

7:03 It's okay too.

7:05 Shukran.

7:06 Ah, yeah.

7:08 Okay.

7:10 So we have some of the fresh fish here.

7:12 This is the the carp.

7:15 Looks like catfish.

7:18 Looks like some catfish.

7:20 And then we also have some other Wow, that one is huge.

7:24 Quite a cool atmosphere here.

7:26 The entire street is full of fish stalls.

7:29 They specialize in two main fish dishes.

7:31 One is masgouf, which you'll find across Iraq, the vertical grilling of fish.

7:36 And then the other they're famous for is fried fish stalls.

7:39 Now they have these huge pans of frying fish.

7:44 Shukran.

7:45 And then they have just live tanks of fish.

7:47 Everything is live.

7:49 Lots of live carp ready to go.

8:06 Yeah, very nice.

8:07 Shukran.

8:11 Okay, we're going to get some of the eggs.

8:18 And that goes directly into the oil.

8:22 Eggs go in and we're also getting another piece of fish fried.

8:29 And of course you can't come to the fish market without trying some fish.

8:32 And so I went with the fried fish stalls with these huge

8:35 Jacuzzi pans of oil in the center with fish surrounding.

8:40 Uh he has plates of fry of fresh eggs,

8:42 which are the carp eggs, and then also pieces of the carp.

8:46 So we're going to try a little bit of both.

8:48 But what a what a cool fish market at the source.

8:54 All right, so he put our eggs in and the fish in.

8:57 And he's he gave me the the tool to turn it.

9:03 Scoot it around the oil.

9:05 Oh, that's warm.

9:08 Whoa.

9:11 That just burst.

9:14 Okay.

9:15 Shukran.

9:16 Oh, you got to poke it and flip it over.

9:29 Okay, the eggs are ready.

9:30 Oh, and then he scoots out the fish.

9:33 Really pokes it.

9:34 Look at how crispy it is.

9:38 Okay, they're really friendly the owners of this place.

9:42 Uh actually that's why we chose them too cuz

9:43 they were just smiling as I was walking past.

9:46 Uh but you're guaranteed this is at the source of fresh fish.

9:49 You're guaranteed fresh fish.

9:51 Well, and it's served with rice, served with all the condiments and sides

9:55 and pickles and onions, which is a must.

9:57 Okay, let's try the eggs first.

9:59 Fried crispy.

10:00 Oh, look at the creaminess of it.

10:02 Oh, I wasn't expecting that.

10:04 It looks like cheese or cream on the inside.

10:11 Mhm.

10:14 Wow.

10:17 Yeah, I totally wasn't expecting that texture.

10:18 Normally when I've had the eggs or the roe

10:21 it's like it has a crumbly beady texture,

10:24 you know, or like little pearls, little beads.

10:28 This is like creamy, cheesy.

10:30 It's like cream cheese almost.

10:32 That is rich and unique.

10:36 I'm really like it feels really fatty and tasty.

10:40 Yeah, definitely needs to be chased by a pickle.

10:44 It'll contrast that richness.

10:46 Mhm.

10:47 That is good.

10:48 Like incredibly tasty.

10:52 Okay, then I'll try some of the some of the rice.

10:55 This type of fish with the fried fish is common to eat rice as well.

10:58 And you also do have bread of course, too.

11:00 But they have this whole steaming pan of rice.

11:05 Mhm.

11:08 It has this red color but it's not It's just a little bit fragrant, mostly rice,

11:12 maybe a little tomato or a little bit of oil to make it like hydrated.

11:17 Very good.

11:18 Now, let's try the the fried fish.

11:20 Now, I've got a big piece of the carp.

11:22 Oh, that's a big chunk.

11:28 Pull off the bones.

11:32 Oh, you can see how juicy it is on the inside.

11:36 That is incredibly juicy and incredibly hot.

11:38 Oh, yeah, you'll burn your finger on that.

11:41 Okay, here we go.

11:48 That's so hot.

11:50 Right out of the oil.

11:52 It is so crispy on the outside, so juicy and moist on the inside.

11:58 Yeah, it's a freshwater fish.

12:00 But it tastes really clean.

12:01 I like just oily as fresh as possible.

12:06 And then it is fatty.

12:08 It is a fatty fish like full of rich rich fish oils.

12:14 Let me go for another bite of the fish.

12:17 Look at how oily and juicy it is.

12:20 I'll put this on the rice.

12:21 Let's give it a little squeeze of the lemon.

12:33 Taste that with an onion.

12:39 Amazing meal.

12:41 And I'm going to do a whole bite combination with the fish eggs.

12:45 And one of the great things about Iraq are all the bite combinations.

12:48 Usually made in bread, so I'll take a a piece of bread.

12:51 I'll grab a piece of the the fish roe into the center there,

12:56 a slice of tomato, a slice of onion, squeeze of the lemon orange.

13:12 Another fantastic meal.

13:14 Shukran.

13:17 Habibi.

13:17 Shukran.

13:20 Oh, at the end of the fish market,

13:23 you will find a neighborhood that is very sad,

13:27 but [music] this was the the last holding of ISIS.

13:34 This was their final stronghold of ISIS until

13:37 2017 [music] when the Iraqi forces defeated ISIS.

13:43 Uh but you can see just [music] the immense like complete destruction.

13:49 So partly it was uh stronghold of ISIS because

13:52 of the the basement and tunnels within this old neighborhood in Mosul.

14:00 And then once they were cleared of the mines and weapons

14:04 they would be declared safe and written safe on the wall here.

14:10 An emotional painting that you can see a little girl

14:14 just playing with her her doll but with surrounded by weapons.

14:19 And [music] so it's very sad to see but at the same time it you

14:24 can see that they're rebuilding now and they have cleared some of the rubble.

14:28 They've cleared It used to be just filled with weapons

14:31 and land mines which have been been cleared now as well.

14:37 And then as we were just walking through

14:38 we met with a man who works with UNESCO.

14:40 Um and he's going to show us like a rebuilt [music]

14:43 a renovated home how it used to look like.

14:46 This is the entranceway the door how they used to look.

14:49 Just beautiful.

14:51 Look at the contrast.

14:55 And this is the central courtyard on the inside but it's really cool to see

15:00 the rebuilding and there's hope even

15:03 in this neighborhood that was just completely destroyed.

15:08 This was the process of renovating and bringing back this house.

15:13 And it's a Mosul style architecture.

15:25 [music] [music]

15:32 Next up in Mosul, we have come to a [music] landmark, and this is a mosque,

15:37 which is called Al-Nuri Mosque, and it's very important historically,

15:43 also known for the leaning minaret, which I'll explain more later.

15:47 But, one of the reasons why this was also a famous mosque is because it was kind

15:53 of the headquarters where would they they would

15:55 have ISIS would have meetings with the chief Al-Baghdadi.

15:59 And this was kind of where they their command center,

16:03 and they had meetings from this area.

16:05 Now, the minaret was totally destroyed as ISIS lost their stronghold,

16:11 and as they were being defeated, they blew up the entire mosque,

16:17 but the minaret has pretty much been reconstructed now,

16:22 and there's two theories as to why it's leaning.

16:24 It's famous for how it's a leaning minaret,

16:27 and it used to even be more leaning before it was destroyed and rebuilt.

16:30 One theory is that it's leaning towards the Prophet Muhammad,

16:34 and then the other theory is just because of the geography,

16:38 the wind blowing that direction over many,

16:41 many years, it sort of started to lean.

16:45 But, it is a really tall minaret.

16:47 It's impressive to see,

16:49 and it's one of the the iconic historical sites of of Mosul.

16:54 And the original mosque dates back to the 12th century.

17:01 [music] Next up, and actually located right next to the mosque,

17:04 we are going to try what is another famous dish

17:08 that you have to try when you come to Mosul.

17:13 This is a kubba Mosul?

17:18 Yes.

17:17 Kubba Mosul, And it is a type of Kuba.

17:19 There's many different variations of Kuba,

17:21 which is also related to kibbeh, which you'll find across the Levant.

17:25 But it's made from wheat.

17:26 Their version Yeah, I don't think it's bulgur actually,

17:28 but it's cracked wheat dough.

17:30 They're making it into big, almost Frisbee-sized uh circles,

17:35 and then they're going to fill it with the minced meat mixture.

17:37 So they're making it here in the back and they're cooking it at the front.

17:40 Uh and this is just a small little place.

17:43 I think a lot of people get it for takeaway,

17:44 and then they You have a few tables here for eating it as well.

17:47 But this is something really special from Mosul.

18:00 Yeah, it gets a good like smacking.

18:04 Release that air bubble, so it's nice and tight.

18:07 And then these perfect circles of the cracked wheat.

18:17 Okay, so once those are the all the cracked wheat is ready,

18:22 then he adds in the meat mixture.

18:28 And he really pats that in.

18:31 Oh, gives it a nice layer, and then the top goes on.

18:36 Oh wow, he's got really got to massage it to seal in the meat.

18:43 And he really has to make sure that's massaged that sealed tight,

18:46 so that when it boils, it holds together and doesn't fall apart.

18:50 So once they have a batch going,

18:52 then they throw it all into the the water where it's going to boil.

19:14 A nice.

19:14 Slices it up like a pizza.

19:16 Okay, you've got the minced meat in the center.

19:18 Okay, and that's freshly boiled, hot and steamy.

19:23 Oh, that smells great.

19:29 This is freshly boiled right out of the hot

19:31 water and that is warm and that's hearty, too.

19:34 So, this is a specialty that you'll only find here in Mosul.

19:37 So, grab a piece of this.

19:38 You can feel the gumminess of that wheat.

19:40 And on the inside you can see the all that minced meat and onions.

19:44 Feels really thick and hearty.

19:46 It's got to be hot steaming as well.

19:57 [clears throat] It's simple but tasty and really filling.

20:02 The cracked wheat has a gummy texture to it because it's been boiled.

20:06 So, it's kind of sticky and gummy and really dense.

20:10 Like when they throw it down,

20:11 you can hear that smack and then they roll it up releasing all the air bubbles.

20:16 And on the inside you have that flavorful meat with the onions,

20:19 the sweetness of the onions and a little bit of spice in there,

20:21 maybe just a little black pepper.

20:22 It's not not very strong on the spice but just a hint of spice.

20:30 Ouch.

20:31 Warming and comforting.

20:36 It's actually really filling.

20:38 Like if you were to eat this whole kubba,

20:40 I'm sure you would need a nap

20:42 immediately afterwards because of the density of it.

20:46 Oh, yeah.

20:49 Really good.

20:50 Another culinary specialty of Mosul.

20:56 [music] Oh, that was another great meal or like a [music] snack.

21:01 And from here, we're on our way to go try what I think might be

21:04 one one most anticipated dishes I was

21:06 most looking forward to trying when coming here.

21:11 [music] Oh, it's starting to drizzle a little bit,

21:16 but we're just stopping outside the shrine of Jonah,

21:20 and [music] it is where uh believed to be It's still not 100% sure,

21:25 but Jonah did die in Nineveh,

21:28 [music] and it's believed to be where he's buried, his mausoleum.

21:32 And so, inside, it was unfortunately bombed also by ISIS

21:36 during at the end of the ISIS uh occupation, but [music] after it was destroyed,

21:41 they ended up finding ancient Assyrian

21:44 artifacts and cuneiform underneath the shrine.

21:49 Uh so, they're rebuilding it now.

21:50 It's not open to the public.

21:51 It's raining hard now.

21:53 Okay, we're moving on, but had to see the the shrine of Jonah while in Nineveh.

22:06 [music] Now, we made it to one of the landmarks of the ancient city of Nineveh.

22:10 This is all the ancient walls [music] of Nineveh,

22:13 uh which dates back to around 700 BC, built by King Sennacherib.

22:18 And this was one of the the main fortress entrances to the city,

22:25 the walled city of Nineveh.

22:27 It was uh iconic also because there were two lamassu,

22:32 which was a winged human-headed bull.

22:35 And it was a celestial being,

22:37 which was meant to provide spiritual protection and intimidate anyone entering,

22:43 and so that's why they was they were at the front on the gate.

22:46 Uh and there are some of them preserved within some

22:49 of the the museums as well that you can see,

22:51 but this There's nothing like being approaching,

22:57 walking up to the gate of Nineveh.

23:01 And the king who also built this gate uh was responsible

23:06 for developing Nineveh into at that time it was the world's largest city.

23:14 And this would literally this would be like entering into the city of Nineveh.

23:21 So the next dish we're going to eat is called qaliya.

23:23 It is a dish that is from Mosul and it's this huge stew.

23:28 And this place behind me they're making this giant pot.

23:31 But the bad news is that it won't be ready for like 4 hours

23:36 and we're not going to have time to stay here and wait for it.

23:38 So they recommended a place serving it that's

23:41 just down the road that we're going to try.

23:43 They also said they have a good version down there.

23:44 But this place is really cool.

23:46 So that's where we're going to try next but just down the street.

23:51 Okay.

23:52 So the qaliya has arrived and this is one

23:54 of the main dishes of Mosul that you have to try.

23:57 And it's a stew made with lamb.

24:01 This time lamb I believe.

24:03 Basically lamb and onions which have been

24:05 braised down into a really thick broth.

24:08 Not using much spice but just relying on the sweetness

24:11 of the onions and the the braising of the lamb.

24:15 And that broth looks so hearty and so rich.

24:17 Okay.

24:18 So actually the the real recipe should typically be

24:20 with lamb but they make it with veal here they said.

24:24 I'll just try this first on its own.

24:31 Mhm.

24:33 Oh.

24:36 The braised meat it's just swimming in its own fat and juices.

24:42 And that broth it's so meaty and thick and oily.

24:46 And then just the sweetness of the caramelized onions in there.

24:50 That is just a like a meat harmony.

24:52 It's focused purely on the meat.

24:55 It'll be amazing with rice.

24:57 So let's take some of the meat onto the rice.

25:05 It's almost like a stew or a soup.

25:08 Halfway between a stew and a soup.

25:22 Yeah, perfect with rice.

25:23 Absorbing all that broth.

25:25 The tender meat.

25:26 Onions though are impressively melt in your mouth just so sweet

25:32 and all the sugars of the onions have just melted out.

25:35 I just want to try a whole bite of the onion.

25:49 It's so much liquid in your mouth.

25:51 Look at the meat is good, but the onions are even better.

25:56 That is just disintegrating, liquefying, absorbed with that animal fat.

26:03 And that broth, yeah, it's like it's not spicy,

26:06 it's not heavily seasoned or heavily spiced,

26:08 but it's just the the natural ingredients that you really taste.

26:14 The ancient Mesopotamian braising technique made it do it just a hearty stew.

26:23 That's really good.

26:25 [music] [music] Next up on our food tour today in Mosul,

26:32 we are stopping by which I was actually just down the road

26:35 from where we ate last to eat a famous dish which is called pacha.

26:39 And I've had a few versions in Iraq [music] so far.

26:42 I'm not sure if it's sheep or veal head that they have here,

26:46 but I'm about to try it and it's one of the most

26:49 famous dishes that's loved and that's known for in Mosul.

26:55 But they have this huge jacuzzi pot

26:57 where they're boiling the heads in the broth.

27:00 And then he makes your bowl with bread.

27:01 He puts some of the parts on some of the sheep

27:03 head and splashes it with the juice and the broth.

27:06 And then they're also famous for Mosul is famous

27:09 for mumbar which are the intestines stuffed with rice.

27:11 So he fries them here and he's so artfully like pours on the broth,

27:15 puts on the mumbar, the fried mumbar,

27:16 and then splashes it with more of that broth.

27:22 Okay.

27:23 Oh, this is quite a dish and you cannot

27:25 come to Mosul without trying their version of pacha.

27:29 And this one is actually not sheep head, but it's made with veal head.

27:32 Oh, let's just start with the mumbar while we're at it.

27:34 Oh, just exploding intestines.

27:42 Oh, it's hot.

27:44 Mhm.

27:46 Mhm.

27:47 Oh, it tastes so good.

27:51 The intestine's casing is so thin and a little bit crispy and just

27:55 melt in your mouth leaving you with that fragrant fluffy rice and flaming hot.

28:00 It's really tasty.

28:02 And it almost it like it tastes so clean

28:04 like the intestines have just completely been cleaned out.

28:06 Oh, yeah.

28:09 Really clean intestine.

28:10 Mhm.

28:11 That's phenomenal.

28:12 Okay, now I'll go in for some of the the goodies below.

28:15 That looks like pure cheek meat.

28:18 And you got to grab all the you got to grab the really hot bread below there.

28:23 Grab some of the saturated bread.

28:26 Put in the the head meat.

28:34 Mhm.

28:35 Mhm.

28:39 It's so soggy and so delicious.

28:42 Actually submerged in that broth too.

28:46 Completely soaked.

28:47 I think that's a treat.

28:49 Or the jaw meat just completely disintegrates.

28:52 It's so tender.

28:54 Effortless chewing.

28:56 Oh, that's a Yeah, that's a pure animal flavor.

29:02 But, I do want to squeeze on some lemon though.

29:04 Squeeze it on cuz that's going to contrast the richness.

29:08 You need a bit of acidity.

29:10 Okay, and then we'll go in for some of the Oh, that's a big chunk of the brain.

29:14 Okay.

29:15 Get some more of the bread.

29:16 It's like a It's so convenient, like an all-in-one dish.

29:19 You've got all your essentials.

29:22 Let's get a chunk of the brain.

29:31 Oh.

29:33 The creaminess of the brain.

29:35 And it really is like an all-in-one dish.

29:37 All your essential carbohydrates and proteins all in one bowl.

29:43 Okay?

29:43 Then moving around the the veal, we have some of the tendon.

29:46 Oh, yeah, this is like a I think there's foot included too.

29:49 Yeah, look, there's a there's a bit of a hoof.

29:52 Oh, look at this tendon.

29:55 Like the whole foot.

29:56 It's like the entire foot tendon.

30:01 Oh, the wobbliness.

30:04 The jiggliness.

30:07 And it's smooth and like silky as well in texture.

30:10 Excellent.

30:11 Let me dig out another piece of bread.

30:13 Put the tongue on.

30:16 I'll give that another squeeze of lemon.

30:28 Everything is so soft and tender.

30:32 Oh, tongue is fantastic.

30:34 Let's try the the boiled mumbar next.

30:38 That is definitely wobbly.

30:39 Refilled intestines.

30:41 So, I'm curious to find out if I like

30:43 the fried one or the just the boiled one better.

30:52 On that bite, the cat jumped on me.

30:54 And he got wants a taste of the mumbar as well.

30:57 This mumbar, the boiled one.

30:59 I thought the intestines might be a little chewier,

31:01 but it's actually really tender.

31:02 Just snaps.

31:03 Mhm.

31:04 So easy to eat, so easy to go down.

31:07 And um yeah, also Mosul is known for their their mumbar.

31:13 Mhm.

31:14 Okay.

31:15 Boiled one is good, but when it is fried in oil, how can you beat that?

31:24 Oh.

31:25 What a meal.

31:27 This is As you can see, it's definitely not a light meal.

31:30 It is a fully compact drenched and soaked with broth and fat.

31:40 It's a heavy meal.

31:41 It's a meal after you eat this, all you'll want

31:44 to do is just sit and drink tea and relax.

31:49 But, it's a hearty meal and definitely something delicious when you're in Mosul.

31:54 And the restaurant is still family-run.

31:56 Here's the Here's the family.

31:59 Okay.

31:59 What is the name, Pacha the restaurant?

32:04 Al Andrus.

32:05 Pacha Al Andrus.

32:07 And the family that still runs it.

32:08 Okay.

32:09 Very good.

32:10 Shukran.

32:11 Shukran.

32:12 Very popular.

32:13 I think it will get more and more popular cuz

32:14 it's typically eaten at night or in the very early morning.

32:18 Got to follow with a cup of Iraqi tea, chai.

32:23 It has to be strong and hot to wash it down.

32:26 Another fantastic meal and experience in Mosul.

32:31 [music] Next up on our food tour today in Mosul.

32:36 So, of course you have heard and probably eaten shawarma or doner kebab.

32:41 And in Iraq, it's called gus.

32:43 [music] And you'll find it all across Iraq, but in Mosul,

32:47 they serve it in a totally different way

32:49 that I don't think I've ever seen before.

32:52 So, I wasn't going to leave Mosul without trying it.

32:54 And this is going to be something completely different.

32:59 You can smell the gus here.

33:00 And here, the gus is made from veal.

33:03 Thin layers of veal with fat mixed in.

33:06 That smells so good.

33:07 Um and over on this side, you can see a literal jacuzzi of the juice

33:13 and the sauce uh that's going to be combined together.

33:16 But it's a lot of tomato tomato sauce.

33:18 You see some of the dried lemons in there.

33:19 It's a huge pan.

33:21 Right now, they're just heating up.

33:22 You can start to hear the the meat start to hiss and sizzle.

33:25 Firing it up.

33:26 Oh, it's starting to crispify.

33:28 Oh, look at that the fat melting out of it.

33:31 Wow, that smells incredible.

33:34 Wow.

33:35 They are really firing it up.

33:37 That is a lot of heat.

33:38 My face is melting.

33:39 That's so much fire.

33:40 Oh, now he's stripping it off.

33:42 Oh, he's slicing it.

33:44 The master.

33:49 Oh.

33:50 Paper thin.

33:51 It takes so much skill.

33:52 Just shaving off that top layer, that crispy layer.

34:02 Oh.

34:03 Beautiful slices.

34:04 Okay, now you come over to the jacuzzi.

34:06 Oh, he soaks the bread with that tomato juice.

34:10 Completely drenched.

34:12 The Iraqi drenching technique.

34:14 And then he comes over here.

34:20 And that fresh gus goes directly on top.

34:23 What a move.

34:25 Oh.

34:26 That goes directly on top.

34:31 All the crispy edges on the top.

34:34 Oh, that's spectacular.

34:38 Oh, and some of the fat.

34:39 Yes.

34:40 Then it comes back over.

34:40 It's not over yet.

34:41 It comes back over to the Jacuzzi.

34:45 Scoops on some of the Oh, some of the lemons.

34:48 Chilies.

34:52 And some of the Some of the oil.

34:56 Okay, ready?

34:58 And that's the complete dish, the ready dish.

35:00 Oh, that's incredible.

35:01 I cannot wait to try it.

35:02 My mouth is watering.

35:04 So, this actual dish is called Tashreeb Gas.

35:07 So, Gas is the the vertical grilling meat.

35:11 Um, and then the Tashreeb is like the Iraqi

35:14 style of soaking the bread within the broth.

35:18 What a technique though.

35:20 Oh, that's the fat on top.

35:22 But then look at these thin strips of meat.

35:25 That crispy side, juicy side.

35:28 Just Oh, the crispy meats.

35:31 But then you I think the best thing to do is dig down below there.

35:34 Oh, yeah.

35:34 It's steaming hot.

35:37 With the oil and the juice.

35:40 All completely completely drenched.

35:44 Put some of the meat in it.

35:46 Yeah, let's get that meat in there.

35:49 Then let's just eat that.

35:50 Let's just take a bite of that first.

35:53 Like that.

36:00 Mhm.

36:02 Oh, wow.

36:08 That's like the king of fast foods right there.

36:11 Oh.

36:14 It's just soggy to perfection.

36:17 Absorbed.

36:18 You taste like that animal oil fat and that broth and the crispy meat.

36:25 Mhm.

36:26 You got Oh, look at your fingers.

36:29 They'll be covered in that red oil flavor which has so much flavor.

36:35 That's phenomenal.

36:37 Has a little bit of a spice to it, too.

36:38 I think there's some chilies in there as well.

36:42 And then you can follow that with some of the pickles, some of the onions.

36:44 You got to follow that with onions.

36:47 As with all of Iraq, you have some chasing vegetables.

36:54 Some pickles.

36:55 Oh, this is not just a pickle.

36:56 It's like a pickle sauce.

37:03 Oh.

37:06 I don't think I've ever had a pickle like that.

37:08 It's like a pickle jam almost.

37:12 Oh, that is nice and sour and tart and crisp.

37:15 And then you go in for another bite.

37:17 You want to You want to dig deep for the juiciest, soggiest pieces of bread.

37:26 And it Oh, look at that steam.

37:28 Oh, put some of the meat on top.

37:30 You want to grab some of the That's the ultimate bite right there.

37:33 Grab a piece of the fat as well.

37:34 You cut a piece of the fat.

37:36 You can layer in some of the Put in some of the onions.

37:41 And you just grab like a a whole wad of soaked bread, meat, onions.

37:48 And I think I'll go one more level.

37:50 One more level.

37:51 One extra level of soaking.

37:54 You can never have enough soaking.

37:55 Oh.

38:04 You're going to get a little messy.

38:06 That's guaranteed.

38:10 That broth is incredible.

38:12 It is so thick and animal It tastes like liquid animal with tomatoes.

38:19 With some spices, with a little chili.

38:22 Once you dip it, you can't go back.

38:29 Looks like you're swimming in the broth.

38:32 You're swimming in the meat juice.

38:34 Oh, this is good.

38:36 You really got to get to taste the acidity of those uh the dried lime,

38:41 which they include a whole one on there.

38:43 Just so you know it's there.

38:46 What a dish.

38:47 What a creation.

38:50 And this is something that is well known specifically from Mosul.

38:55 Okay.

38:56 He did scoop me a few of these little ball chilies,

38:59 which is also flavoring it, which we have to try.

39:02 I'm going to grab some of the meat.

39:04 In fact, I'm just going to wrap it into the pure meat, actually.

39:07 Oh, there's even some vegetable.

39:09 Oh.

39:10 Well, that was in the Okay, that my little chili is wrapped up in the meat.

39:14 A little meat package.

39:15 There's only one way to find out how spicy it is.

39:27 Oh, yeah.

39:29 It's a little bit warm.

39:30 Oh, it's pretty spicy, actually.

39:32 Oh, nice.

39:34 So, that chili or those chilies are kind of flavoring that whole pot.

39:38 It's decently spicy.

39:39 Oh, that's great.

39:40 Wow.

39:41 Oh, that's also what's flavoring that broth

39:43 and making it so tasty and so addictive.

39:54 I have a feeling I might be covered in red sauce for the rest of the week.

40:00 And it will be totally worth it.

40:03 Well, that was a lot of soaked bread and delicious meals in Mosul,

40:08 but Mosul has been a city that totally surprised me.

40:11 It's truly fascinating.

40:13 The ancient city of Nineveh and [music] still the city of Mosul in Iraq.

40:18 And without a doubt, it has been through a lot,

40:21 a lot of hardship, a lot of pain.

40:23 But I can say with certainty that it is [music] a city of resilient people,

40:29 of friendly people, of delicious food.

40:32 And we have learned about the history today,

40:34 just blown away by the history and just

40:37 [music] the hospitality and the amazing food.

40:40 So thank you for watching this video in Mosul today.

40:45 Hope you enjoyed it.

40:45 Remember to give it a thumbs up.

40:46 Leave a comment below.

40:47 I'd love to hear from you.

40:48 And also I'm going to link the next video over here,

40:51 but we are traveling around Iraq eating some of the best

40:53 local food that you're not going to want to miss.

40:55 So be sure to check out the entire series, all the Iraqi food.

40:58 Don't miss any of it.

40:59 Check out the video next.

41:00 And again, big thank you for watching.

41:02 Goodbye from Mosul, Iraq.

41:04 I'll see you on the next video.