Whole stuffed camel
Encyclopedia
Whole stuffed camel is claimed to be a traditional Bedouin
wedding
dish, served at the weddings of sheikh
s and of their family members. Like turducken
, which is a recipe consisting of birds stuffed with birds and which has become popular in North America, a whole stuffed camel is a culinary delicacy composed of a medium-sized camel
stuffed with a sheep or a lamb stuffed with other ingredients.
Although the recipe has been published in a number of cookbooks and recipe webpages,
the recipe is often treated with skepticism
, and many think it might be an exaggeration of a real, less impressive, culinary experience. A posting on Snopes describes references in the recipe that might lead the reader to the conclusion that the recipe is, in fact, a joke, including instructions to "skin, trim, and clean the camel (once you get over the hump)...".
The Guinness Book of World Records lists the recipe as the "largest item on any menu in the world", "prepared occasionally for Bedouin wedding feasts.". According to the Milwaukee Journal, the steps are:
There is a reference in culinary expert Richard Sterling
's book The Fearless Diner in which he claims to have met someone who cooked the entire recipe for "some sheik or other," in Saudi Arabia
. Water Music
by T. Coraghessan Boyle
contains a recipe for camel stuffed with dates, plover eggs, carp, seasoned bustards, and sheep, baked for two days on hot coals in a trench.
Remastered CD versions of the Pink Floyd
album Atom Heart Mother
contain a card of "Breakfast Tips". On one side is a recipe for a "Traditional Bedouin Wedding Feast", detailing the stuffing of a chicken inside of a lamb, which is stuffed inside a goat, which is then stuffed inside a camel, and cooked over a charcoal fire.
Bedouin
The Bedouin are a part of a predominantly desert-dwelling Arab ethnic group traditionally divided into tribes or clans, known in Arabic as ..-Etymology:...
wedding
Wedding
A wedding is the ceremony in which two people are united in marriage or a similar institution. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes...
dish, served at the weddings of sheikh
Sheikh
Not to be confused with sikhSheikh — also spelled Sheik or Shaikh, or transliterated as Shaykh — is an honorific in the Arabic language that literally means "elder" and carries the meaning "leader and/or governor"...
s and of their family members. Like turducken
Turducken
A turducken is a dish consisting of a de-boned chicken stuffed into a de-boned duck, which itself is stuffed into a de-boned turkey. The word turducken is a portmanteau of turkey, duck, and chicken or hen....
, which is a recipe consisting of birds stuffed with birds and which has become popular in North America, a whole stuffed camel is a culinary delicacy composed of a medium-sized camel
Camel
A camel is an even-toed ungulate within the genus Camelus, bearing distinctive fatty deposits known as humps on its back. There are two species of camels: the dromedary or Arabian camel has a single hump, and the bactrian has two humps. Dromedaries are native to the dry desert areas of West Asia,...
stuffed with a sheep or a lamb stuffed with other ingredients.
Although the recipe has been published in a number of cookbooks and recipe webpages,
the recipe is often treated with skepticism
Skepticism
Skepticism has many definitions, but generally refers to any questioning attitude towards knowledge, facts, or opinions/beliefs stated as facts, or doubt regarding claims that are taken for granted elsewhere...
, and many think it might be an exaggeration of a real, less impressive, culinary experience. A posting on Snopes describes references in the recipe that might lead the reader to the conclusion that the recipe is, in fact, a joke, including instructions to "skin, trim, and clean the camel (once you get over the hump)...".
The Guinness Book of World Records lists the recipe as the "largest item on any menu in the world", "prepared occasionally for Bedouin wedding feasts.". According to the Milwaukee Journal, the steps are:
Cook eggs. Stuff eggs into fish. Cook the fish. Stuff the fish into cooked chickens. Stuff the cooked chickens into roasted sheep. Stuff the roasted sheep carcass into a whole camel . . . now cook to taste.
There is a reference in culinary expert Richard Sterling
Richard Sterling
Richard Sterling is an American food and travel writer. He is one of the main authors of Lonely Planet's World Food series and author of The Unofficial Guide to San Francisco published in 2006....
's book The Fearless Diner in which he claims to have met someone who cooked the entire recipe for "some sheik or other," in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
. Water Music
Water Music (novel)
Water Music is the first novel by T. C. Boyle, first published in 1982. It is a semi-fictional historical adventure novel that is set in the late 18th and early 19th century...
by T. Coraghessan Boyle
T. Coraghessan Boyle
Tom Coraghessan Boyle is a U.S. novelist and short story writer. Since the mid 1970s, he has published twelve novels and more than 100 short stories...
contains a recipe for camel stuffed with dates, plover eggs, carp, seasoned bustards, and sheep, baked for two days on hot coals in a trench.
Remastered CD versions of the Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
album Atom Heart Mother
Atom Heart Mother
Atom Heart Mother is the fifth studio album by English progressive rock band Pink Floyd, released in 1970 by Harvest and EMI Records in the United Kingdom and Harvest and Capitol in the United States. It was recorded at Abbey Road Studios, London, England, and reached number one in the United...
contain a card of "Breakfast Tips". On one side is a recipe for a "Traditional Bedouin Wedding Feast", detailing the stuffing of a chicken inside of a lamb, which is stuffed inside a goat, which is then stuffed inside a camel, and cooked over a charcoal fire.