Shafaq News- Kirkuk
Residents from across Kirkuk’s Kurdish, Arab, Turkmen, andother communities gathered on Monday for the city’s annual Dolma Festival,celebrating one of Iraq’s best-known dishes and showcasing the province’s richculinary heritage.
Festival participant Duaa Ali told Shafaq News that theevent helps preserve traditional recipes while introducing younger generationsand visitors to dishes passed down through families. “Dolma [stuffed vegetableswith rice and meat] is more than a meal; it is part of Kirkuk’s cultural andsocial identity,” she remarked, noting that families traditionally prepare itfor gatherings and special occasions. “The large turnout reflects the dish’simportance across the city’s communities.”
Umm Mohammed, another participant, said dolma is known as“Yarbagh” in both Turkmen and Kurdish and has long served as a shared culinarytradition among the province’s ethnic and religious communities.
While the core ingredients remain largely unchanged, shepointed out that every household has its own variation, with some using moremeat and others adding pomegranate molasses, garlic, or aromatic herbs to givethe dish its distinctive flavor.
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