Assyrian cuisine
Assyrian cuisine blends Mesopotamian traditions with regional Middle Eastern influences.
Assyrian cuisine belongs to the indigenous Assyrian people, who are Eastern Aramaic-speaking Syriac Christians from parts of Iraq, northeastern Syria, northwestern Iran, and southeastern Turkey. The food is largely the same as Iraqi and Mesopotamian cooking, and it closely resembles the cuisines of neighboring regions—including Middle Eastern, Caucasian, Greek, Levantine, Turkish, Iranian, Palestinian, and Armenian traditions—since Assyrian dishes often match those of the areas where the community lives or originally came from. Grains like barley, along with meat, tomatoes, herbs, spices, potatoes, fermented dairy products, and pickles, are common ingredients.
For lunch and dinner, Assyrians do not distinguish between the two meals, calling them *kawitrā w kharamsha* or *ˁurāytā w ḥšāmtā*. These meals usually feature basmati rice, which can be plain, red (*smooqah*), yellow (*shaootah*), or plain with fried miniature noodles called *sha'riya*. Another option is green rice (*reza qeena*), flavored with lima beans and dill, which gives it a green tint. Instead of rice, *gurgur* (burghul, also called *perda* in Assyrian) can be prepared the same way. Beef and chicken kebabs, grilled on skewers or a spit, are also common.
Biryani is an Assyrian rice dish with *sha'riya*, green peas, fried cubed potatoes, almonds, raisins, sliced hard-boiled eggs, and chicken. *Rezza smooqah* (red rice) is often made with chicken or meat. Rice is typically served with a stew called *shirwah* (or *shorba*), which has a broth base made from tomato paste, water, and spices, plus a main vegetable such as potatoes, beans, okra, string beans, spinach, cauliflower, or zucchini. Beef, chicken, or oxtails can be added as desired. During Lent, meat is left out for religious reasons. A traditional Assyrian salad consists of cubed tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and red onions, dressed with lemon, vinegar, salt, pepper, and olive oil.
Other specialty dishes include *thlokheh* (lentils cooked with curry and *sha'riya*), *kofta* (or *kipteh*, ground beef meatballs with parsley, rice, onion, and spices in a tomato-based stew), *kuba hammouth* (long ground beef meatballs with a cracked wheat shell, similar to Syrian and Lebanese fried kibbeh), and *girdo* (or *bushala*), a porridge of rice and sour yogurt served with date or fig syrup. Additional traditional foods are *tepsi* (a layered cassero
- field
- Cuisine
- nationality
- Assyrian (indigenous to Iraq, Syria, Iran, Turkey)
- known_for
- Rice dishes (biryani, red rice), stews (shirwah), dolma, masgouf, baklava, arak, and yogurt-based soups
- key_ingredients
- Barley, meat, tomato, herbs, spices, potato, fermented dairy, pickles, sesame seeds
Lore & Background
Assyrian cuisine is rich in grains such as barley, meat, tomato, herbs, spices, and potato, as well as fermented dairy products and pickles. Lunch and dinner are not distinguished and are called kawitrā w kharamsha or ˁurāytā w ḥšāmtā. Meals typically include basmati rice prepared plain, red (smooqah), yellow (shaootah), or with fried miniature noodles called sha'riya. Green rice (reza qeena) is flavored with lima beans and dill. Burghul (gurgur) may replace rice. Beef and chicken kebab are common. Biryani includes sha'riya, green peas, fried potatoes, almonds, raisins, hard-boiled eggs, and chicken. Red rice is often made with chicken or meat. Rice is accompanied by a stew called shirwah (or shorba), a broth-based dish with tomato paste, water, spices, and a main vegetable such as potatoes, beans, okra, string beans, spinach, cauliflower, or zucchini, with optional beef, chicken, or ox tails. During Lent, meat is omitted. A traditional salad uses cubed tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and red onions with a dressing of lemon, vinegar, salt, pepper, and olive oil.
Reader's Guide
Assyrian cuisine is significant as a living tradition of the indigenous Assyrian people, preserving ancient Mesopotamian culinary practices while adapting to regional influences. Dishes such as boushala (a yogurt-based soup with greens and bulgur) are among the oldest known. The cuisine features a wide array of specialties: thlokheh (lentils with curry and sha'riya), kofta (ground beef meatballs in tomato stew), kuba hammouth (cracked wheat shell with ground beef), girdo (rice and sour yogurt porridge), tepsi (layered casserole of fried vegetables and meat), shamakhshi (stuffed fried eggplant), dolma (stuffed grape leaves, cabbage, peppers, zucchini, eggplant), masgouf (spiced baked fish), and lahmacun (flatbread with ground beef and spices). Sesame seeds are used to make tahini, and a folk tale tells of gods drinking sesame wine before creating the earth. Soups and stews include boushala, dikhwah (dried yogurt stew with barley and meat), harissa (porridge with wheat and chicken or beef), tashrib (chickpea and meat soup served on bread), and pacha (stuffed lamb stomach with offal). Desserts include baklava, kulecheh, kadeh, and nazoochi. Beverages include arak (distilled from grapes or dates), daweh (yogurt drink), black tea with evaporated milk, dried lime tea, and traditional Assyrian coffee made in a bronze jezve.
Did You Know?
- Assyrian cuisine is primarily identical to Iraqi/Mesopotamian cuisine.
- Boushala (or bushala) is one of the oldest known dishes, a yogurt-based soup with greens and bulgur.
- Arak, a popular alcoholic beverage, is clear until mixed with water, then becomes milky-white.
- Sesame seeds are used to make tahini; a folk tale tells of gods drinking sesame wine before creating the earth.
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