Camel Bits
Camel Bits
Camel and Rice in Iran
After several days exploring the city of Yazd in Iran, I found myself standing half-awake, waiting for the 4am bus to Esfahan. A couple from Denmark and I were the only other foreigners on the bus that was at half capacity. I slept the first leg of the journey and awoke at 9am to the bus creeping towards a nondescript town that I guessed to be midway.
The town, which seemed to be surrounded by a vast expanse of desert in every direction, had six crumbling structures that were made out of brick and mud. One of them offered breakfast. We approached the rear of the building, where a man who I guessed was the mayor/chef/building owner, pointed down to entrails of camel explaining that was to be our breakfast.
There wasn’t another option around, so I followed the handful of passengers to one of the dilapidated buildings and anxiously awaited the food. As tea was served, rice and camel began to appear on plates. The Danish couple and I were apprehensive. I never got to know what part of the camel I was awarded, but it was chewy and tasted like a hybrid of lamb and beef.
Mixed with steamed rice and washed down with a cup of warm tea, it ended up being quite tasty. It kept the hunger at bay for the rest of the journey until the bus came to its destination in Esfahan.