Bedouin Food

Bedouin existence depended on their herds and flocks. The camel was the supreme possession, providing transport, milk for food and drink, meat, hair, hides, and dung for fuel. Camels were, however, a Bedouin’s wealth and prestige and would rarely be slaughtered for meat. Any camel meat usually came from the slaughter of surplus bull calves or injured or sick beasts. The camel enabled man’s penetration of the extensive desert areas, as they are capable of sustained travel in search of pasture with only intermittent water supplies. Where daily access to water could be assured, herds of goats and sheep were kept by the Bedouin, primarily for milk and meat but also for their skins which were used as water and food containers.