date:Apr 15, 2014
Issue
Many Sham el-Nessim celebrations include a traditional family meal. Certain salted fish products like fesikh, a traditional dish in the Egyptian community, represent an increased risk of botulism because of the way they are prepared.
The fish used to make these salted fish dishes are not gutted before the ripening and salting process. This provides an opportunity for Clostridium botulinum bacteria that may be in the gut of the fish to grow and produce the toxins that cause botulism. These