The Iraqi capital city Baghdad prides itself on making the best masgouf, with the Abu Nawas district on the shores of the Tigris river, "dedicated" to this dish.

This "altar" typically consists of a big open-air area centered by a raised, podium-like sandbox that is either round, octagonal or sometimes rectangular, in the middle of which there is a large fire of apricot tree logs.

The tray is then covered by a large crispy flatbread straight out of a clay oven to keep its contents hot until served to the client.

Masguf arguably being the most famous dish of Iraq, it is also the one that is always the foremost served to foreign delegations visiting the country by the Iraqi statesmen.

Two notable admirers of this dish are said to be the former President of France, Jacques Chirac and Vladimir Zhirinovsky, the former chairman of the Russian Duma.