Iraq

A smooth red lentil soup seasoned with cumin and lemon and finished with fried onion, a staple light meal across Iraq and the wider Levant.

A traditional Iraqi breakfast of dried broad beans slow-cooked until tender and anointed with rendered lamb tail fat (alya) and cumin, eaten by scooping with flatbread.

A traditional Iraqi breakfast and mezze of thick date molasses (dibis) poured over or alongside plain tahini (rashi), served communally for dipping and scooping with flatbread.

A filling of spiced minced lamb and raw rice tightly rolled inside blanched grape leaves and braised in an acidic broth — sour cherry, pomegranate, lemon, or tomato — until the rice swells and the leaf becomes completely tender.

Guss is a traditional Iraqi street sandwich consisting of a soft samoon bread filled with spiced tikka, pickled vegetables, fresh tomato, and a drizzle of tahini sauce.

A slow-cooked porridge of whole wheat and meat (usually lamb) simmered for hours and pounded together until it forms a smooth, savoury, homogenous paste.

An Iraqi breakfast of crisp layered fried filo pastry drenched in sugar syrup and crowned with gaimar, thick clotted water-buffalo cream.

Kleicha is the national cookie of Iraq: a tender, lightly spiced shortcrust pastry wrapped around a filling of date paste or sweetened walnuts and shaped into rolls, discs, or crescents.

An Iraqi croquette of seasoned cooked rice shaped into a shell around a spiced minced-lamb-and-onion filling, then deep-fried until crisp and golden.

The Iraqi version of lahm bi ajeen: thin rounds of dough baked with a tangy seasoned ground-meat-and-tomato topping, often distinguished by a souring agent and Iraqi spicing.

A festive Levantine one-pot dish of spiced long-grain rice layered over fried vegetables and braised meat or chicken, cooked together in a single pot then dramatically inverted onto a platter to reveal a structured tower of rice, vegetables, and meat.

An everyday Iraqi lamb-and-vegetable broth tinted yellow with turmeric, thinly soupy, and ladled over plain white rice as a daily home meal.

An Iraqi stew of lamb and whole small okra pods simmered in a tomato sauce sharpened with tamarind or dried lime, served over white rice.

Iraq's national dish: a whole freshwater carp split-butterflied open from the dorsal spine, marinated in tamarind, turmeric, and olive oil, then slow-grilled upright around an open wood fire for one to three hours until the skin lacquers and chars and the fat-rich flesh cooks through in its own rendered fat.

Muhallabia is a delicate Middle Eastern milk pudding set with rice flour or cornstarch and scented with rose or orange-blossom water.

An Iraqi dish of slow-simmered sheep's head, trotters and stomach served in a clear, restorative broth, often with stuffed stomach and bread soaked in the soup.

Qeema is a spiced minced meat (typically lamb or beef) cooked with aromatics, tomatoes, and peas in a dry or minimal‑liquid style, served as a hearty main dish.

Quzi is a whole slow‑roasted lamb, traditionally stuffed with spiced rice, dried fruits and nuts, served as the centerpiece of festive Iraqi feasts.

An Iraqi leavened white bread shaped into a pointed diamond or boat form and traditionally baked on the floor of a clay tandoor, with a crisp crust and soft crumb.

A spiced lamb and chickpea broth ladled over torn flatbread, finished with tomato and baharat, served as a hearty main dish.

An Iraqi oven-baked tray dish of pre-fried aubergine slices layered with spiced ground meat, sautéed onion, fresh tomato, and pepper, assembled in a flat pan and baked until the components meld into a cohesive, juicy whole.

Chunks of marinated lamb (or sometimes beef) threaded on skewers and grilled over charcoal, an Iraqi street and home staple distinct from minced kebabs.

A festive sweet rice dish coloured golden-yellow with saffron (or food colour), sweetened with sugar and studded with raisins, nuts and rose or cardamom aroma.