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Kurdish cuisine (Sorani Kurdish: چێشتی کوردی, romanized: cheshti kurdi or Kurmanji Kurdish: xwarina Kurdî) consists of a wide variety of foods prepared by the Kurdish people. There are cultural similarities of Kurds and their immediate neighbours in Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Syria, and Armenia.

Culinary customs

Kurdish cuisine makes abundant use of fresh herbs and spices.^[1]

Sweetened black tea is a very common drink, along with bitter strong coffee. Another favourite Kurdish drink is Mastaw (ماستاو]) or Ava Mast, which is yogurt and salt mixed with water. The fermented version of this is called Dô (Doogh).^[2]

Staples of Kurdish cuisine are Berbesel, Biryanî (بریانی), Dokliw (دۆکوڵیو), Kelane (کەلانە), Kulerenaske (ناسکە کولێرە), Kube (کوبە), Parêv Tobûlî, Kuki (meat or vegetable pies), Birinç (white rice (برنج) alone or with meat or vegetables and herbs), and a variety of salads, pastries, and drinks specific to different parts of Kurdistan. Other popular dishes are Makluba(مەقلوبە), kofta (کوفتە), shifta (شفتە), shilah/maraga, spinach with eggs, wheat & lentil soup, beet & meat soup, sweet turnip, cardamon cookies, burgul pilaf, mehîr, hûr û rûvî, pel (yaprakh) (یاپراخ), chichma this dish is common in Erbil (Hewlêr), tefti, niskene (نیسکێنە) and nane niskan.^[3]

Sawar (ساوەر), a traditional dish among Kurdish farmers, is made of wheat grain that is boiled, sun dried and pounded in a mortar (curn) to get rid of the husk. The wheat is then crushed in a mill (destarr). The resulting grain food can be boiled and served.^[4]

Tepsî (تەپسی) is a dish of aubergines, green peppers, courgettes and potatoes in a slightly spicy tomato sauce. Teşrîb (تشریب) consists of layers of naan in a sauce of green pepper, tomato, onions and chillies.^[5]

Dishes and foods

Dairy products

Yoghurt, or mast, as it is called in Kurdish,^[6] is considered the most popular fermented dairy product in Kurdistan.

Lorik, Kurdish cottage cheese
Jajî, or Van herbed cheese, popularly produced in the Kurdish villages in Van Province, Turkey

Rice Dishes

Perde pelav
Biryanî
Birinca sor (red rice)
Birinc bi maş (mung beans and rice)

Stews

Bread

In Kurdistan, bread can be found in various forms. Their ingredients differ as well as their shapes, densities, and textures.^[7]

Stuffed vegetables

Stuffed vegetables are widely known as Pelpêç or Îprax (Sarma) or Pel (Dolma) ^[8] in Kurdish regions. It is slowly simmered and they fill the house with an irresistible scent of fresh herbs, aromatics, and tangy lemons.^[9]

Pel (Dolma)
Pelpêç^[8] or Îprax (Yaprak or Sarma)

Meat dishes

As nomads and herders, lamb and chicken have been the main dishes of Kurdish cuisine for centuries.^[10] Some dishes include:

Kutilk, also used in the following stews:
- Tirşik
- Kutildewk
- Avşirînk
Putête Çap
Kebab
Qelî, Kurdish stir fry
Meqlûbî

Dessert

Gilûl, a dish made from cooking yogurt and rice together and pouring date molasses onto it
Xebîse, brown cookies unique to the city of Amedi
Kade, ceremonial cookies usually with a date, walnut, or coconut filling
Arxavk, a paste made from flour and water which can be done savory or sweet
- Kurds also use arxavk as a kade filling
Apple salad (chopped apples in mayonnaise) is a popular appetizer in Kurdish cuisine
Beqlave

Non-alcoholic beverages

Kurdish coffee (Qehweya kezwanê or Kafêya Kurdî)
Çay
Dew or do^[2]
- Also used in stews such as kutildewk
Avamast or mastaw^[2]
Raisin juice

Related cuisines

References

^ "Kurdistan's cuisine". Krg.org. 2010-06-27. Archived from the original on 2014-10-19. Retrieved 2012-05-21.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Kurdistan's cuisine". Krg.org. 2010-06-27. Archived from the original on 2012-02-18. Retrieved 2012-05-21.
^ "Middle East". Web.archive.org. 2008-02-01. Archived from the original on February 1, 2008. Retrieved 2012-05-21.
^ "The food that launched civilization". saradistribution.com. 2012-05-05. Retrieved 2012-05-21.
^ "Iraqi Kurdish, Life Style". London: Guardian.co.uk. 2007-04-07. Retrieved 2012-05-21.
^ "Kurdish-English dictionary" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 October 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
^ "Culture Tuesday: an Exploration of Kurdish Cuisine". 21 January 2021. Archived from the original on 1 February 2008. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
^ ^a ^b "Kurdische Spezialität". 6 December 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
^ "Vegan Kurdish Aprax / Dolma (Stuffed Vegetables with Herbed Aromatic Rice)". 19 March 2021. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
^ "Kurdish Food". Retrieved 28 July 2021.

Bibliography

Barzinji, Ala, Traditional Kurdish Food: An insight into Kurdish culinary heritage, 2015, ISBN 1784624144.
Sinjari, Emel, The Kurdish Cookbook, 2016, ASIN B01LZ0DZ5I.
Zebari, Chiman, My Life, My Food, My Kurdistan, 2015, ASIN B0793Q93R8.
Nikolovski, Goce, Taste of Kurdish Cuisine: Part 1, 2016, ASIN B01LXXAEUQ.