Laban and Fish

If you travel to any gulf country, you might be told something along the lines of “Don’t have Laban[1] with fish, it’ll upset your stomach.” That is —as modern science has proven to us— is a myth! and it seems to be a myth that only exists in the gulf, as other countries see no issue in mixing their dairy and fish; Given creamy chowder recipes, seafood casseroles, Shrimp poached in milk[2] exist in the culinary world, and have given no one any recorded issues. So where did that myth come from?

The Two Lifestyles

There are a few ways one can survive the emptiness of the desert before nations, buildings, and technology arose. The most common ones were staying by the sea, or being a nomad. The sea’s abundance of fish and pearls kept the Seamen happy, fed, and even introduced them to being merchants! While the nomadic lifestyle of the Bedouin[3] kept their livestock alive, introduced them to way-finding, and traveling trade. Rarely did the two meet, but when they did, their diets would clash. Seamen lived mostly on fish, and Bedouins lived on meat, and the by products of their animals.

A Rivalry

One explanation to the myth was that Seamen and Bedouins were in some sort of long drawn rivalry, both believing their lifestyle to be the best, and the other is just wasting their time and doing it the hard way. This version of the myth says that when Bedouins met Seamen, in weddings, diwans[4], or for trade, they would say “May we have some Laban with the food? it is what we are used to, and is our custom.” to humiliate the Seamen, given they had no livestock to milk. The Seamen then came with the lie of saying “You can not have Laban with fish! for it’ll harm your stomach and we fear for your health.” Admitting they could not serve their guests as a good host should.

A Misunderstanding

The second most common explanation is that the Bedouins and Seamen had a very good relationship in fact, with each of them providing the other with merch they could not acquire in their life, camel hides, pearls, Persian carpets, and books. Having a very merry trading relationship suggested that they have probably tried trading Laban and Fish at some point, but since neither knew the appropriate care for the food, it could have rotten and caused them illness. The myth suggests that eating the two together makes you sick, while it’s more probable that each individually had accidentally eaten food that has gone bad, got ill, and the myth spread.

Laban and Fish today

I have first heard the myth from my grandmother’s tongue, she served an amazingly grilled fish and I wanted a cup to accompany it. When I asked for a cold cup of Laban she told me “You shouldn’t have Laban with Fish, it’ll upset your stomach.” 

I went to learn about it, and now I’m giving the information to you.

My grandmother has lives on the shore, A seawoman :)

Additional info

1. Laban, or as called in other places, Lassi(South Asia), Ayran(Persia), or Kefir(Central Europe), is a drink made of fermented yogurt or milk.

2. Shrimp poached in milk: an Indian recipe, traditionally uses coconut milk, but there are deviations.

3. Arabs who didn’t settle in one place in the dessert, but instead lived in tents and carried their homes with them towards any oasises, or a more settled town.

4. A Diwan(other spellings include: Dewan, Divan, Deewan) is a court where poets, men of religious standing, and literary enthusiasts shared stories, sermons, poems, maps, scientific discoveries, and much more. A Diwan can also refer to a poets collection of their best work in a book.