Madfouna Sayadeya Rice: The Fishermen’s Dish That Never Changed

Out at sea a fisherman has no kitchen and no time — he has rice and onion, and the fish and shrimp that just came out of the net. The result was a complete meal in a single pot: hot, filling, and carrying the smell of the sea.

So why has sayadeya rice never changed?

Today almost every dish has a hundred versions. But madfouna sayadeya is a special case: a dish that hasn't changed or been significantly reinvented in many years.

The reason is simple — the idea was complete from the start:

• The fish gives the rice its flavour.
• The shrimp builds on it.
• The onion ties the whole taste together.

There is nothing missing that needs adding.

Madfouna sayadeya rice at El Marakby in Jeddah

At El Marakby we make madfouna sayadeya the way the fishermen made it: fish, shrimp and onion buried in the rice, and the rice cooking as it drinks in their flavour.

And if this dish hasn't changed in Port Said in years, we have no intention of changing it either.

The smell of the sea in one dish

It may be the simplest dish in this series — just rice, fish, shrimp and onion. But it carries the story of fishermen who spent weeks at sea and made a meal out of their own catch, a meal that is still alive today.

If you want to taste it the original way, come to El Marakby and try madfouna sayadeya rice for yourself.

The taste of Port Said — at a table in Jeddah.