By Balqis Jamaludin
KHARTOUM: Malaysians may not know that the Nile river in Sudan, yes Sudan and not Egypt, has an abundance of tilapia, a favourite fish of the Sudanese people.
The world's longest river is the source of this popular fish, which has a group of Bernama journalists on a visit to Sudan, hosted by the Sudan News Agency (SUNA), practically savouring the tilapia non-stop, when served with the crunchy fried fish, dipped in Sudan's exquisite sambal.
What is so special about this fish? For Sudanese, Ahmed Abdulagi, 48, the Nile's tilapia is tasty and its flesh softer than any other tilapia fish.
"Sudanese cook tilapia as curry, fried and dried. And it is also best to serve with sambal, which is made from chili, lemon, salt and peanut butter," he told Bernama.
Ahmed said that tilapia is consumed fresh as fishermen caught the fish along the Nile river every day, using either the traditional methods such as fishing nets, or the modern ones such as boats.
However, the tasty tilapia is still only for local consumption and yet to be exported to other countries, he said.
Mustafa Makky, owner of a restaurant - 'Samakuna Restaurant' (Our Fish) - here, said that the Nile's tilapia has become "a tourist attraction," especially in Khartoum.
He buys 200 kg of tilapia daily from middlemen for his restaurant.
"The tilapia is available from the White Nile and Blue Nile. Because the demand for tilapia is increasing, the price is also rising," he said.
For example, he said that previously the price was only seven Sudanese Pounds (RM4.8) per kg but now it can go as high as 30 SDG (RM20.7).
And as for the six-member Bernama team, led by the national news agency's Deputy-Editor-in -Chief (Domestic News), Datuk Mokhtar Hussain, the tilapia was simply the best they had ever tasted and has vast potential for export.
Khartoum, the capital and second largest city of Sudan, is located at the confluence of the White Nile, flowing north from Lake Victoria, and the Blue Nile, flowing west from Ethiopia.
The location where the two Niles meet is known as "al-Mogran", meaning the confluence. The main Nile continues to flow north towards Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea.
Lake Victoria is a huge lake located in east central Africa along the equator and borders the countries of Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania.
-- BERNAMA
The world's longest river is the source of this popular fish, which has a group of Bernama journalists on a visit to Sudan, hosted by the Sudan News Agency (SUNA), practically savouring the tilapia non-stop, when served with the crunchy fried fish, dipped in Sudan's exquisite sambal.
What is so special about this fish? For Sudanese, Ahmed Abdulagi, 48, the Nile's tilapia is tasty and its flesh softer than any other tilapia fish.
"Sudanese cook tilapia as curry, fried and dried. And it is also best to serve with sambal, which is made from chili, lemon, salt and peanut butter," he told Bernama.
Ahmed said that tilapia is consumed fresh as fishermen caught the fish along the Nile river every day, using either the traditional methods such as fishing nets, or the modern ones such as boats.
However, the tasty tilapia is still only for local consumption and yet to be exported to other countries, he said.
Mustafa Makky, owner of a restaurant - 'Samakuna Restaurant' (Our Fish) - here, said that the Nile's tilapia has become "a tourist attraction," especially in Khartoum.
He buys 200 kg of tilapia daily from middlemen for his restaurant.
"The tilapia is available from the White Nile and Blue Nile. Because the demand for tilapia is increasing, the price is also rising," he said.
For example, he said that previously the price was only seven Sudanese Pounds (RM4.8) per kg but now it can go as high as 30 SDG (RM20.7).
Khartoum, the capital and second largest city of Sudan, is located at the confluence of the White Nile, flowing north from Lake Victoria, and the Blue Nile, flowing west from Ethiopia.
The location where the two Niles meet is known as "al-Mogran", meaning the confluence. The main Nile continues to flow north towards Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea.
Lake Victoria is a huge lake located in east central Africa along the equator and borders the countries of Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania.
-- BERNAMA
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