A Lesson on Kurdish Cuisine

Map of Kurdistan

I've talked about being Kurdish and if you don't know a lot about the Kurds...well then you're probably asking "who are the Kurds and what exactly is Kurdish style cooking?"

Some typical Middle Eastern & Greek Foods that the Kurds make:

Baklava

Hummus (though we do not use lemon juice in ours)

Tabouleh & Yogurt-Cucumber Sauce

First, a little history about who exactly the Kurds are and where they are from. Kurds came thousands of years ago from the Kafkas mountains at the time when the big migration of humanity began from those mountains to the Middle East and Europe. According to research, the flow of the emigrants divided into two main groups. One of these groups settled in Europe and extended to the generations we see nowadays in Germany. The other group settled in the north of Mesopotamia (Kurdistan). Scientists believe that Kurds and Europeans descend from the same root, that is Indo-European (Aree) race. The brightest page of Kurdish history goes back to the year 860 B.C. Kurds at that time had a very powerful Empire called Media. This Empire extended to some parts of present Iraq and Iran in addition to all their land.

The Kurdish cuisine is a wonderful cuisine because it is influenced by so many cuisines as the Kurds are spread out throughout the Middle East and parts of Eastern Europe. I grew up eating so many different kinds of food and just thought that's how everyone ate. My mother made so many different kinds of dishes and it was always such a learning experience hanging out with her in the kitchen as she would tell us about the food she was making. She'd tell us stories of making her beans n rice while bombs were going off outside her home. She'd tell us about making yogurt for the Peshmerga (the Kurdish freedom fighters) before they had to leave for a mission, because it was good for them to help fight off infections.

The Kurds use lots of fresh herbs and vegetables in their food and soups are a staple. The soups consist of different vegetables and meats, primarily lamb and chicken. We eat a lot of burgul. I remember my dad lecturing us on how good it was for us, because we wanted our mom's white rice instead. And he was right....burgul is made of durum wheat and is very rich in fiber, protein and even potassium. I will make sure to post some burgul recipes soon! We eat most of our soups and stews over rice or couscous or burgul. Many of the soups and stews are tomato based and of course full of flavor.

Kurdish "yaprak" "yapragh" or "dolma" The Kurds stuff many vegetables, including onions, tomatoes, squash, etc when they make dolma as well as the stuffed grape leaves.
Kurdish Biryani, rice with spices and lamb.

Kurds eat a very healthy diet because even when they use meat it is almost always served with lots of veggies and no added fats are used in our cooking. Braising meats is the typical way of cooking meat which of course eliminates the necessary use of any oils or butter. The other thing that I think is very important is that we'd always end a meal with a big bowl of fresh fruits and hot black tea. We'd use honey for our tea and the fruit was our dessert. The Kurds love of fruit comes from the fact that most of the soil in Kurdistan is very rich and fertile, and long summer months allow for many fruits to grow. My mother's father had orchards of fruit and nut trees. He had pomegranate, apple, fig, and walnut trees as well as rows and rows of grape vines.

Kurdish clothing is very colorful and elaborate. Men & Women dance together in the Kurdish culture.
A young girl in traditional Kurdish clothing.

If you're really interested in the Kurds and want to learn more about them or see more pictures and get the latest on their plight to survive and thrive....go to:

http://www.krg.org/