Mahyawa

Mahyawa

Mahyawa (bottle)
Place of origin	Iran (South)
Region or state	Iran, Kuwait, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Qatar
Main ingredients	Fish, water

Mahyawa or mehyawa (Persian: مهیاوه) is an Iranian cuisine tangy sauce made out of fermented fish.

Etymology

The name (Mahyaweh;ماهی‌آوه) is derived from Mahweh (مهوه) which in Achomi language means Mah (ِمَه;mah) for “fish” and Aweh (آوَه;aweh) for “water”.

History

Mahyawa (Arabic: مهياوه, romanized: Mahyaweh or Arabic: مشاوة, romanized: Meshaweh) is a famous dish widely consumed in Southern Iran, the southern regions of Fars Province and Hormozgan, as well the rest of the Gulf especially the GCC countries, which has been introduced there by the it was brought by the migration of the Achums (known locally as the Huwala and Ajam communities or more commonly “Khodmooni”).

They claim it was invented by Avicenna, and according to others it was prepared by Bozorgmehr the minister of Anoushirvan, and they believe that eating Mahweh/Mahyaweh, which also contains mustard, prevents skin disease (Vitiligo).

It is typically served on top of a wafer thin crispy flat bread called regag or tumushi, and falazi. Mahyawa is made from salted anchovies and ingredients include: fennel seeds, cumin seeds, coriander seeds and mustard seeds.

Mahyawa is often sold at bakeries and by street vendors in the southern parts of Iran, especially Hormozgan, Bushehr and the southern parts of Fars province, in clear bottles, showing the brown-colored sauce.

See also

• List of fish sauces