Iraq
Samoon
صمون
Iraqi samoon is a puffy, diamond-shaped bread baked in a hot oven and eaten with stews, kebab and breakfast spreads.
western-asia
Iraq
Explore 50 foods connected to Iraq, from everyday staples to rare local specialties.
50 foods12 leading categories5 Essentials guides
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Baghdad Essentials
5 editor-selected foods for understanding the place through what people eat.
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Traditional foods from Iraq.
50 foods in this view. Filter by category, type, rarity, or search every recorded name.
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Iraq
Shakar Lama
شكر لمة
Short, crumbly cardamom biscuits made with clarified butter, so fragile they collapse in the mouth.
Iraq
Sheikh Mahshi
شيخ محشي
Aubergines or courgettes hollowed, fried and filled with minced lamb and pine nuts, then baked in tomato or yoghurt sauce.
Lebanon
Strained Yoghurt
لبنة
Yoghurt hung in a cloth until the whey drains and it thickens to a soft, tart cheese, spread on a plate and flooded with olive oil.
United Arab Emirates
Stuffed Dates
تمر محشي
Stuffed dates are Emirati sweets filled with nuts or cream cheese; the dates hold a generous filling and can remain moderately sweet.
Lebanon
Tabbouleh
تبولة
Parsley and bulgur salad with tomatoes, mint, lemon, dominant fresh parsley with fine bulgur and balanced lemon, a popular and refreshing Arabic salad in UAE, traditional and beloved, daily and healthy.
Lebanon
Tahini Halva
حلاوة طحينية
A dense sesame confection made by working tahini with boiled sugar syrup until it sets into a crumbly, fibrous block.
Iraq
Tannour Bread
خبز تنور
Flat rounds of dough slapped onto the inside wall of a clay tannour oven and peeled off blistered a minute later.
Baghdad, Iraq
Tashreeb
تشريب
Flat bread torn into a bowl and soaked in lamb or chicken broth with chickpeas and stewed meat piled on top.
Iraq
Tepsi Baytinijan
تبسي باذنجان
Aubergine, tomato, potato, onion and meatballs layered in a wide tray and baked in tomato broth until the top browns.
Iraq
Tibeet
تبيت
Chicken stuffed with spiced rice and slow-cooked overnight with whole eggs, tomato and cardamom — the Iraqi Jewish sabbath dish.
Iraq
Turshi
طرشي
Turnip, cauliflower, cucumber and chilli pickled in brine and vinegar, coloured pink with beetroot, eaten with every meal.
Iraq
Zahidi Dates
تمر زهدي
Firm, dry golden dates grown across central Iraq, less sweet than soft varieties and sold by the kilo.
Algeria
Zalabia
زلابية
Small coils or balls of fermented batter fried until crisp, then soaked in syrup or dusted with sugar at Egyptian sweet shops.