what do they eat in IRAQ?

[Jason Perlow]

Does anyone have any recipes for middle eastern dishes that are UNIQUE to Iraq?

[VivreManger]

Iraq's culinary traditions are regional and within regions, distinctly ethnic. So there are Baghdadi Muslim and Jewish cuisines as well as recipes popular in the Kurdish north and the largely Shiite south. Historically the wealthiest, most-powerful, and longest-lived of the Arab dynasties, the Abbasid Caliphate had Baghdad as its capital. Claudia Roden's "New Book of Middle Eastern Food" has a few references to medieval Baghdadi cooking indicating that its influence has spread throughout Islamic Middle East and North Africa. There had been a restaurant in SF, Ya Ya Cuisine, 663 Clay Street 415 434-3567 which my sources inform me specialized in Iraqi food, but last time I checked it seemed out of business.

Some Baghdadi Jewish foods are TABIT, a kind of cholent-kishke-haggis, slow-cooked, rice, tomato, and chicken, classically stuffed in sheep intestine. KARII, rice, lentils, and yellow squash often served with yogurt on Rosh Hashana and Shavuot. SALON, fish cooked with sweet peppers and tomatoes, often served cold. KUBA SHWANDRY, farina-bulghur (I am not certain of the grain) dumplings stuffed with meat and cooked with beets to achieve a rich red-purple color. Many of these are classic Baghdadi recipes in general since during the first half of the 2oth century Jews were the largest single group in Baghdad, the others being Shiite Muslims, Sunni Muslims, and Kurds.

The classic Iraqi condiment is AMBA, that is mango pickle, shared with Indian cooking. Because of the close trade connections between Iraq and India, many other food ways have passed from the sub-continent to Mesopotamia.

During the last Gulf War when Iraqi scuds were targetting Tel-Aviv, many of them fell in the Ha-Tikvah quarter of the city, by repute filled with Iraqi Jews. The joke was that they landed there because they had special AMBA sensing devices on the war-heads.

Edited January 8, 2003 by VivreManger (log)

[Jason Perlow]

wow, interesting stuff.

[Gavin Jones]

Perhaps not unique to Iraq, but notated from the 13thC 'A Baghdad Cookery Book' and sourced from Iraq are a collection of recipes for rotted bread such as the outline for Murri below which Charles Perry discusses (anthologised in 'The Penguin book of Food & Drink').

Essentially kneaded dough is added to flour, salt and moistened. Then left for a while until it turns black, bubbles and settles. The liquid or the condiment may then be eaten, flavoured perhaps with cinnamon or rosewter.

For those of you intending to make these at home be aware that rotted grain products contain significant amounts of aflatoxins, which are virulent carcinogens.

[Dave the Cook]

Because of the close trade connections between Iraq and India, many other food ways have passed from the sub-continent to Mesopotamia.

My parents lived in Basra in the early '50s. My mother claims it's where she picked up her fondness for curry. Perhaps now I know why.

[Stone]

this link gives info for a cookbook called "Indian-Jewish Cooking." Although the author is Indian, she comes from a Jewish-Baghdadi family, and there are a lot of Baghdadi recipes and influences.

[VivreManger]

Another Iraqi dish is pachche, made of sautéed sheep’s brain and peppers.

[La Niña]

There are several decent Persian cookbooks on the market. Check 'em out.

There's also a chapter on Persian Jewish food in Copeland Marks' "Sephardic Cooking."

[stefanyb]

There are several decent Persian cookbooks on the market.  Check 'em out.

There's also a chapter on Persian Jewish food in Copeland Marks' "Sephardic Cooking."

Isn't Persia Iran not Iraq?

[IrishCream]

There are several decent Persian cookbooks on the market.  Check 'em out.

There's also a chapter on Persian Jewish food in Copeland Marks' "Sephardic Cooking."

Isn't Persia Iran not Iraq?

That is my understanding also. Strangely though, in several of my older Middle Eastern cookbooks, there are many Persian (and other Middle Eastern) recipes but none from Iraq. Here are a few sites which appear to have old classic Iraqi recipes (I have never tried posting a link so not sure this will work):

recipes

More veggies

[IrishCream]

The ones I linked to were not Iraqi? Sorry....

[La Niña]

There are several decent Persian cookbooks on the market.  Check 'em out.

There's also a chapter on Persian Jewish food in Copeland Marks' "Sephardic Cooking."

Oh, woops. Duh.

I do, however, have a bunch of Iraqi Jewish recipes from some Iraqi Jewish friends of mine, if anybody is interested.

[Jason Perlow]

Yes Nina, please.

[boaziko]

Iraq's culinary traditions are regional and within regions, distinctly ethnic.  So there are Baghdadi Muslim and Jewish cuisines as well as recipes popular in the Kurdish north and the largely Shiite south.  Historically the wealthiest, most-powerful, and longest-lived of the Arab dynasties, the Abbasid Caliphate had Baghdad as its capital.  Claudia Roden's "New Book of Middle Eastern Food" has a few references to medieval Baghdadi cooking indicating that its influence has spread throughout Islamic Middle East and North Africa.  There had been a restaurant in SF,  Ya Ya Cuisine,  663 Clay Street 415 434-3567 which my sources inform me specialized in Iraqi food, but last time I checked it seemed out of business. 

Some Baghdadi Jewish foods are TABIT, a kind of cholent-kishke-haggis, slow-cooked, rice, tomato, and chicken, classically stuffed in sheep intestine. KARII, rice, lentils, and yellow squash often served with yogurt on Rosh Hashana and Shavuot.  SALON, fish cooked with sweet peppers and tomatoes, often served cold.  KUBA SHWANDRY, farina-bulghur (I am not certain of the grain) dumplings stuffed with meat and cooked with beets to achieve a rich red-purple color.  Many of these are classic Baghdadi recipes in general since during the first half of the 2oth century Jews were the largest single group in Baghdad, the others being Shiite Muslims, Sunni Muslims, and Kurds. 

The classic Iraqi condiment is AMBA, that is mango pickle, shared with Indian cooking.  Because of the close trade connections between Iraq and India, many other food ways have passed from the sub-continent to Mesopotamia. 

During the last Gulf War when Iraqi scuds were targetting Tel-Aviv, many of them fell in the Ha-Tikvah quarter of the city, by repute filled with Iraqi Jews.  The joke was that they landed there because they had special AMBA sensing devices on the war-heads.

Viv (re) la differance;

For history sake, The joke in the end is told (in Hebrew at least) about Ramat Gan a town neighboring Tel Aviv with a large community originating in Iraq.

By the way Ha-Tikva got some 'minor' share of the Skuds.

I join all your hopes for peace, health and good appetite.

[rxrfrx]

I think I'm getting this right... Another interesting element unique to the Persian Gulf area are dried limes, known as noomi basra in Iraq. They can be crushed to make a seasoning powder, or just boiled in a stew. I got a bag of these as a present once, and it was suggested that I do the latter. I'd imagine that it serves a similar purpose as sumac does in the area of Palestine.

[Jason Perlow]

We've had a discussion of "loomis/noomi" before on the site:

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?act=ST&f=41&t=8726

[polly]

As far as my understanding of Iraqi history goes (which isn't very far, so I welcome corrections) the nation state of Iraq is a fairly modern development and as such would not have developed its own distinctive culture which would include cuisine, certainly not on a national basis although there may be regional/tribal specialities. The other thing which would give it a separate cuisine is a combination of geographical/climatic features which give it a different agriculture, but again this does not exist so the cuisine of the Middle East tends to be fairly amorphous based on "Persian" origins.

I think , britcook, that you're pretty much 'on the money'.

I have a Kurdish friend (was born in Iraq, then had to flee to Iran), who refers to all of 'his' food as Persian.

[Jason Perlow]

Sent to me by one of our lurkers:

hi sir,

while i was browsing , i found your question about iraqi food,

iraqi cuisine is quite different from the dishes of other arabic countries ,may be less varities but it is more rich maily with meat while other countries like syria and lebanen they depend more on the cereales and vegetables, iraq cuisine is more like that of iran , but of different flavour, and some claimes that iraq was influnened greatly by iran , but the historic reality is diifferent, they were adapting alot of things from us since the preislamic era.

one the most famous iraqi dishes is al maskoof which is a fresh water fish grilled in special way on the bank of tigris river in baghdad city. we have a special kind of kubba which is a common food in middle east ,but that one is made of minced rice stuffed with meat,raisin and almonds,and the broad kubba which is made only in iraq and people of north and christian are the best to prepare it, and we have the kubba hamiz ,which is made mostly in winter and consist of minced meat and minced rice stuffed with meat and spices ,all in tomato syrup with chick peas,turnips ,rice and other vegetables,this is one of the most famous iraqi dishes,

rice which is cultivated in good old days and used in dishes like rice with broad beans,rice with carrots,rice with nuts and raisines,rice with lentil,rice with fish,rice with meat,rice with cauliflower,rice with noodles, stuffed vegetables are known dish in middle east but in iraq they will also stuff the onion and will add to it beans and lamb ribs,and iraq housewife is not a good one unless she can do it in proper way.

our bread is completly different than that of other countries.and in breakfast we have the iraq cream which is unique for iraq and made from bufflo milk. our pickle is so good and may be the secert is that we use the date vinger not that of grape or apple and most famous pickle is the cucumber stuffed with parsley and garlic, the iraqi kabab is so famous in middle east ,because the iraqi meat of both lamb and beef is of great taste, and we have also one sweet which is present only in iraq called min alsama which means the gift of heaven and some beleive it is the same thing which was sent by god to moses people ,it is a white semisoft sweet with some nuts and best kind is that made in sulimania which is a kurdish town in the north, and do not like to forget one simple and very tasty dishmade of dried bread,with onion , lemon ,it is the dish of poor people but i found it a very fine one, this is what i can remeber and write now ,and since i left iraq i did not taste any food which is better than that of my home country,and as i told you may be we have less varities but our cooking is one of the best,

regards

thank you

[Jaymes]

Sent to me by one of our lurkers:

Wow.

Very, very interesting. Thank you, "lurker." Well done.

Edit: Any chance you know, and could share with us, some of the recipes and methods of preparation.

Say, in particular, for that "gift of heaven" sweet?

Edited January 15, 2003 by Jaymes (log)

[Kim WB]

what is their cuisine like? Vegetable based, I assume..what grains? dominant starch and vegetable? any fish? poultry?

[Stone]

Find out here.

[Suzanne F]

If you can find a copy of Tess Mallos's The Complete Middle East Cookbook, you'll see that Iraq has a varied and interesting cuisine. After all, this is part of the region where Western "civilization" began. And Baghdad was for a time the capital of the Islamic world, and a center of trade.

[Elissa]

I believe it was "A Short History of Wine" that claimed wine was FIRST made in Mesopotamia, by women preserving grapes...

In "Cooking the Middle Eastern Way" Christine Osbourne says that the zenith of Middle Eastern cooking was achieved by the Abbasid chefs in Baghdad, in the era of Sheherezade and the 1001 nights. Days of banquests with tables and tables of roast partridges, ducks and francolins (?) marinated over night in curd, milk-fed kid and spitted gazelle. Platters of sweetmeats...

Timman zaf'ran: ground meat, raisins and nuts.

Khouzi: a whole lamb steamed on a domestic stove then bbq'd over rice in a tanour. Suspended head down, the fatty tail constantly bastes the carcass as it melts.

Mashgouf: a whole fish slowly smoked around an open fire. Copious fish and dates.

May peace return to Iraq before civilization is irrevocably destroyed.

[Elissa]

Sent to me by one of our lurkers:

hi sir,

while i was browsing , i found your question about iraqi food,

our bread is completly different than that of other countries.and in breakfast we have the iraq cream which is unique for iraq and made from bufflo milk. our pickle is so good and may be the secert is that we use the date vinger not that of grape or apple and most famous pickle is the cucumber stuffed with parsley and garlic, the iraqi kabab is so famous in middle east ,because the iraqi meat of both lamb and beef is of great taste, and we have also one sweet which is present only in iraq called min alsama which means the gift of heaven and some beleive it is the same thing which was sent by god to moses people ,it is a white semisoft sweet with some nuts and best kind is that made in sulimania which is a kurdish town in the north, and do not like to forget one simple and very tasty dishmade of dried bread,with onion , lemon ,it is the dish of poor people but i found it a very fine one, this is what i can remeber and write now ,and since i left iraq i did not taste any food which is better than that of my home country,and as i told you may be we have less varities but our cooking is one of the best,

regards

thank you

thanks jason, lurker and vivman

here's to the future of kurdish, turkish, sephardic and muslim feasts

Edited March 26, 2003 by lissome (log)

[Jinmyo]

our pickle is so good and may be the secert is that we use the date vinger not that of grape or apple and most famous pickle is the cucumber stuffed with parsley and garlic...

Very interesting. I'd love to hear more.

I've always thought disputes between nations should be settled by a cook-off.