Iraqi cuisine

Iraqi cuisineis aMiddle Eastern cuisinethat has its origins in theancient Near Eastculture of thefertile crescent.Tabletsfound in ancient ruins in Iraq show recipes prepared in the temples during religious festivals—the firstcookbooksin the world.Ancient Iraq's cultural sophistication extended to theculinary arts.
The Iraqi kitchen reached its zenith in theIslamic Golden AgewhenBaghdadwas the capital of theAbbasid Caliphate(750–1258 AD).
In Northern Iraqpomegranateis added todolma. In Southern Iraq, fish is a staple. The center of the country is known  for its rice dishes and sweets.
In terms of agriculture, Iraq harks back to ancientMesopotamia,growingwheatand crops requiring winter chill such asapplesandstone fruits.Lower Mesopotamiagrowsriceandbarley,citrus fruits, and is responsible for Iraq's position as one of the world's largest producer ofdates.
Pork consumption is forbidden to Muslims in Iraq, in accordance withSharia, the Islamic law.
Archaeologists have found evidence from excavations atJarmo, in northeasternIraq, thatpistachio nutswere a common food as early as 6750 BC.Among the ancient texts discovered inMesopotamiais aSumerian-Akkadianbilingual dictionary,recorded incuneiform scripton 24 stone tablets about 1900 BC.It lists terms in the two ancient Iraqi languages for over 800 different items of food and drink.Included are 20 different kinds ofcheese, over 100 varieties ofsoupand 300 types ofbread, each with different ingredients, filling, shape or size.
The world's oldest recipes are found inMesopotamiaof modern-day ancient Iraq, written in cuneiform tablets.One of three excavatedcuneiformclay tabletswritten in 1700 BC inBabylon,50 miles south of present-dayBaghdad, contains 24 recipes for stew cooked with meat and vegetables,enhanced and seasoned withleeks,onion,garlic, and spices and herbs likecassia,cumin,coriander,mint, anddill.Stew has remained a mainstay in the cuisine.Extantmedieval Iraqi recipesand modern Iraqi cuisine attest to this.
Some characteristic ingredients of Iraqi cuisine include:
Other Iraqi culinary essentials includeolive oil,sesame oil,tamarind,vermicelli,tahini,honey,date syrup,yogurtandrose water.
Lambis the favorite meat, butchicken,beef,goatandfishare also eaten. Most dishes are served with rice—usuallytimman anbar, a yellowish, very aromatic, long-grain rice grown in the Middle Euphrates region.
Bulghur wheat is used in many dishes, having been a staple in the country since the days of theancient Assyrians.Flatbreadis a staple that is served with a variety ofdips, cheeses, olives, andjams, at every meal.
Meals begin with appetizers and salads, known asmezza.Mezzais a selection of appetizers or small dishes often served with a beverage, like anise-flavored liqueurs such asarak,ouzo,rakı,sambuca,pastis, or various wines, similar to thetapasof Spain, orfinger food.
Mezza may include:
Various stews served over rice form a major part of Iraqi cuisine.
Long-grainriceis a staple in Iraqi cuisine.Iraqi rice cooking is a multistep process intended to produce just-tender, fluffy grains.A prominent aspect of Iraqi rice cooking is thehikakeh, a crisp bottom crust.Before serving, thehikakehis broken into pieces so that everyone is provided with some along with the fluffy rice.
InIraqi Arabic, rice is calledtemmen, which is anassimilationof English "ten men" (a brand of Indianbasmatirice).According to the myth, the word originated afterWorld War Iwhen Iraqi farmers declined to provide theBritishwith rice to feed their soldiers inBasra. Thereafter, the British imported "Ten Men" instead.As such, when Iraqi porters used to hear British soldiers requesting them to carry the pouches of "Ten Men", they thought it meant rice in English. The wordtemmenhas since entered the Iraqi vocabulary, and today, Iraqis still use that word for rice.
The earliest known recipe for cake comes from ancient Mesopotamia. Believed to be primarily for consumption at the palace or temple, the cake was made from fat, white cheese, dates and raisins. Another recipe dating to the reign ofHammurabi(1792 BCE–1750 BCE) includes similar basic ingredients with the addition of grape syrup,figsand apples.
The traditional Iraqikleichacookies are believed to have their roots in Mesopotamianqullupu—date filled pastries baked in a wood-fired oven calledtannour. In modern times, other types of cookies (biskit) and cakes (ka'ak) are made at home, usually flavored withcardamomor rose water. Some variations include the disc-shapedkhfefiyyat, half-moon shapedkleichat jozmade with nuts, and date-filledkleichat tamur.
Cookbooks dating to theAbbasid Caliphatebetween the 10th and 13th centuries include recipes for hundreds of desserts. The tradition continues into the modern day, but the rich, syrupy desserts likebaklavaare usually prepared for special occasions or religious celebrations, as most daily meals are usually followed by a simple course of seasonal fruit, especially dates, figs, cantaloupes, nectarines, apricots, pomegranates, peaches, mulberries, grapes or watermelons.
Though not as recognizable asbaklava, the fried pastry calledlauzeenaj, flavored withmasticandrose water, was a specialty in imperial Baghdad.
Rosette-shapedfritterscalledzalabiaare a local specialty, believed to take their name fromZiryab, a well-known Iraqi musician in theCaliphate of Cordoba.
Baklavaandzalabiaare typical offerings during theEid al-Fitrcelebrations that followRamadan.Halqoum(commonly known asTurkish delight) are traditionally given as gifts during the holiday.
Others include:
On February 20, 2023, a law was published banning the import, production and sale of all types of alcoholic beverages, punishable by fines of up to IQD 25 million. There is currently no further information available regarding the enforcement of the law, which is currently being litigated.