Kurdish cuisine consists of a wide variety of foods prepared by the Kurdish people. There are culinary and cultural similarities of Kurds and their neighbours in Iran, Iraq, Syria, Greece, Armenia and Turkey.
Kurdish cuisine makes abundant use of fresh herbs and spices.
Sweetened black tea is a very common drink, along with bitter strong coffee. Another favourite Kurdish drink is (àçóêçÃÂ) or , which is yogurt and salt mixed with water. The fermented version of this is called (Doogh).
Staples of Kurdish cuisine are Berbesel, Biryanî (èñÃÂçÃÂÃÂ), Dokliw (ïÃÂéÃÂõÃÂÃÂ), Kelane (éÃÂÃÂçÃÂÃÂ), Kulerenaske (ÃÂçóéàéÃÂÃÂÃÂñÃÂ), Kube (éÃÂèÃÂ), Parêv Tobûlî, Kuki (meat or vegetable pies), Birinç (white rice (èñÃÂì) alone or with meat or vegetables and herbs), and a variety of salads, pastries (ôÃÂñÃÂÃÂÃÂ), and drinks specific to different parts of Kurdistan. Other popular dishes are Makluba (àÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂèÃÂ), kofta (éÃÂÃÂêÃÂ), shifta (ôÃÂêÃÂ), shilah/maraga, spinach with eggs, wheat & lentil soup (ôÃÂñèçàïÃÂÃÂààùÃÂïÃÂó), beet & meat soup, sweet turnip, cardamon cookies, bulgur pilaf, mehîr, hûr û rûvî, pel (yaprakh) (ÃÂçþñçî), chichma this dish is common in Erbil (Hewlêr), tefti, niskene (ÃÂÃÂóéÃÂÃÂÃÂ) and nane niskan.
(óçÃÂÃÂñ), a traditional dish among Kurdish farmers, is made of wheat grain that is boiled, sun dried and pounded in a mortar () to get rid of the husk. The wheat is then crushed in a mill (). The resulting grain food can be boiled and served.
(êÃÂþóÃÂ) is a dish of aubergines, green peppers, courgettes and potatoes in a slightly spicy tomato sauce. (êôñÃÂè) consists of layers of naan in a sauce of green pepper, tomato, onions and chillies.
Yoghurt, or mast, as it is called in Kurdish, is considered the most popular fermented dairy product amongst Kurds.
In Kurdistan, bread can be found in various forms. Their ingredients differ as well as their shapes, densities, and textures.
Stuffed vegetables are widely known as pelpêç or îprax (sarma) or pel (dolma) in Kurdish regions.
As nomads and herders, lamb and chicken have been the main dishes of Kurdish cuisine for centuries. Dishes with meat involved include: