Çiriş: The Kurdish Wild Asphodel Gathered at the Snowline
Çiriş is a wild Kurdish mountain plant gathered at the snowline each spring and simmered into a thick soup with lentils and bulgur — one of the first fresh foods after winter.
Read article →Kurdish History Journal
The archive
Motal: The Kurdish Cheese Aged Inside a Sheepskin
Motal is a Kurdish cheese aged inside a sheepskin bag — nomadic pastoral technology developed for transhumance. Wikipedia says Armenian; Kurdish cheesemakers know better.
Read article →Büryan Kebab: The Kurdish Pit-Roasted Lamb That Turkey Claims as Its Own
Büryan kebab is a Kurdish pit-roasted lamb from the Kurdish cities of Siirt and Bitlis. Turkey claims it as Turkish cuisine despite the Kurdish cities, butchers, and terminology.
Read article →Tepsî: The Kurdish Vegetable Casserole That Wikipedia Calls "Iraqi"
Tepsî is a Kurdish layered vegetable casserole with aubergine, meatballs, and tamarind-pomegranate spicing. Wikipedia lists it as Kurdish and Iraqi — but the dish's own page says only Iraqi.
Read article →Kelane: The Kurdish Spring Flatbread Filled With Wild Mountain Herbs
Kelane is a traditional Kurdish stuffed flatbread filled with wild spring herbs, baked on a sāj griddle and brushed with browned butter. A springtime ritual from the Hawraman mountains.
Read article →Berbesel: The Ancestral Kurdish Dish Where Grain Meets Milk
Berbesel is a foundational Kurdish dish where grain meets dairy — wheat cooked in sheep milk or a tangy yoghurt-meat soup. Listed as a Kurdish staple but unknown outside Kurdistan.
Read article →Ava Mast: The Kurdish Yogurt Drink the World Calls Ayran
Ava Mast (Mastaw) is the Kurdish salted yogurt drink served at every meal. Known internationally as ayran or doogh, the Kurdish names are invisible.
Read article →Perde Pelav: The Kurdish Wedding Pilaf Hidden Behind a Turkish Label
Perde Pelav is a Kurdish wedding pilaf from Siirt, wrapped in dough with symbolic meaning for the bride. Every source traces it to this Kurdish city, yet it is labelled Turkish.
Read article →Arxavk: The Kurdish Butter-Flour Filling at the Heart of Festive Baking
Arxavk is a South Kurdish butter-flour filling paste used in kade — the ceremonial stuffed pastries served at Eid, Nowruz, and Kurdish weddings.
Read article →Kurdish Mythology: Gods, Heroes, Spirits and Ancient Tales
Explore Kurdish Mythology: Gods, Heroes, Spirits and Ancient Tales. Dive into ancient stories and discover the rich tapestry of Kurdish mythology.
Read article →Amba: The Indian Pickle That Became a Kurdish Street Food Staple
Amba is a tangy pickled mango condiment from India that became a staple of Kurdish and Iraqi street food. Served with shifta, falafel, and kubbeh across Kurdistan.
Read article →Perde Pelav: The Kurdish Wedding Pilaf Wrapped in Secrets
Perde Pelav is a Kurdish wedding pilaf from Sîrt — rice sealed in dough symbolising family devotion. Always labelled "Turkish," its Kurdish origins are erased.
Read article →Torak: The Kurdish Sun-Dried Curd That Fed Nomads for Centuries
Torak is a traditional Kurdish sun-dried curd ball — a nomadic survival dairy product carried by herders on mountain migrations. Part of the same family as kashk and qurut.
Read article →Gezo: The Kurdish Mountain Manna From the Oak Forests
Gezo is Kurdish mountain manna — a wild-foraged sweetener from oak forests, produced by aphids for only days per year. Known historically as Kurdish manna, this tradition is endangered.
Read article →Qara Xerman: The Kurdish "Black Harvest" — Fire-Roasted Green Wheat
Qara Xerman is the Kurdish name for fire-roasted green wheat, meaning "black harvest." Known globally as freekeh, the Kurdish name and survival heritage are erased.
Read article →Khoresht Rivas: The Kurdish Rhubarb Stew Called "Persian"
Khoresht Rivas is a Kurdish rhubarb stew from Rojhilat (Iranian Kurdistan), always labelled "Persian" in English. Iranian sources say it is mainly cooked in Kurdistan.
Read article →Jajî: The Kurdish Mountain Cheese Sold Under a Turkish City’s Name
Jajî is a Kurdish herbed cheese made from sheep's milk and 25 wild mountain herbs. Sold as Van Otlu Peyniri, the Kurdish name never appears on the label.
Read article →Savar: The Kurdish Grain That Built a Mountain Civilisation
Savar is the Kurdish name for traditional processed wheat grain — the mountain staple erased under the generic Turkish label bulgur pilavı.
Read article →Kutilk: The Kurdish Dumpling the World Calls by Other Names
Kutilk is the Kurdish name for stuffed bulgur dumplings known internationally as kibbeh or içli köfte. The signature Kurdish version, kutilk daw, is cooked in yoghurt-garlic soup.
Read article →Yaprax: The Kurdish Stuffed Vine Leaf You Know by Another Name
Yaprax is the Kurdish name for stuffed vine leaves. Known internationally as dolma or sarma, the Kurdish version with fresh herbs, pomegranate molasses, and yoghurt is rarely credited.
Read article →Ser û Pê: The Kurdish Head-and-Foot Stew That Warms a Nation
Ser û pê is a traditional Kurdish stew of slow-cooked sheep head and feet, enriched with chickpeas, rice, and warming spices. A winter staple across all parts of Kurdistan.
Read article →Kürt Böreği: The Kurdish Pastry Turkey Tried to Rename
Kürt Böreği is a traditional Kurdish layered pastry created in 1800s Istanbul by a Kurdish migrant from Bingöl. The name is now being replaced with the euphemism Küt Böreği.
Read article →Qehweya Kezwanê: The Kurdish Coffee Erased by Turkish National Branding
Qehweya Kezwanê is a traditional Kurdish terebinth coffee once sold in France as Chicorée au Kurde before Turkish rebranding renamed it Menengiç Kahvesi.
Read article →The Republic of Ararat (1927–1930): The Kurdish State on the Mountain
The Republic of Ararat was a Kurdish state proclaimed on Mount Ararat in 1927, led militarily by Ihsan Nuri and the Xoybûn league, crushed by Turkey in 1930.
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