Visitors to Iraq's capital Baghdad are usually invited to taste the delicious grilled carp, known as Masgouf. Dubbed the signature dish of Iraq, Masgouf is a gift by nature as the fish come from the Tigris river that flows through much of the country, including Baghdad. To ensure its deliciously freshness, Masgouf is cooked by slowly grilling the fish on a bonfire in a fire altar.

An Iraqi cook is preparing Masgouf, or grilled carp, in a streetside restaurant in Baghdad, Iraq on Oct. 15, 2019. (Xinhua/Khalil Dawood)

 

Carps swim in a tub at a streetside restaurant in Baghdad, Iraq that offers the signature dish Masgouf, on Oct. 15, 2019. The fish are from the Tigris river that flows through much of Iraq. (Xinhua/Khalil Dawood)

 

A carp, used in preparing the famous Iraqi signature dish Masgouf, is shown to the customers at a streetside restaurant in Baghdad, Iraq on Oct. 15, 2019, before the cooking starts. (Xinhua/Khalil Dawood)

 

To make Masgouf, the fish is slowly grilled on a bonfire in a fire altar like this one seen at a streetside restaurant in Baghdad, Iraq on Oct. 15, 2019. (Xinhua/Khalil Dawood)

 

An Iraqi cook checks the status of a carp grilled at a streetside restaurant in Baghdad, Iraq on Oct. 15, 2019. It usually takes one to three hours to prepare the Iraqi signature dish. (Xinhua/Khalil Dawood)