[[File:Chaldean_Breakfast_2015Chaldean Breakfast 2015-04-29_1029 10-17.jpg|thumbnail|Chaldean Breakfast]]
Meals begin with appetizers and salads – known as ''[[Mezze|Mezza]]''. Some dishes include ''[[Kebab]]'' (often marinated with garlic, lemon and spices, then grilled), ''[[Shawarma|Gauss]]'' (grilled meat sandwich wrap, similar to ''[[Döner kebab]]''), ''[[Bamia|Bamieh]]'' (lamb, okra and tomato stew), ''[[Quzi]]'' (lamb with rice, almonds, raisins and spices), ''[[Falafel]]'' (fried chickpea patties served with ''[[Amba (condiment)|amba]]'' and salad in ''[[pita]]''), ''[[Kibbeh|Kubbah]]'' (minced meat ground with [[Bulgur|bulghur wheat]] or rice and spices), ''[[Masgouf|Masgûf]]'' (grilled fish with pepper and tamarind), and ''[[Maqluba]]'' (a rice, lamb, tomato and aubergine dish). Stuffed vegetable dishes such as ''[[Dolma]]'' and ''[[Stuffed peppers|Mahshi]]'' are also popular.<ref name=ABC>{{cite book|last=Albala|first=Ken|title=Food Cultures of the World Encyclopedia|year=2011|publisher=[[ABC-CLIO]]|isbn=978-0-313-37627-6|pages=251–252}}</ref>
Contemporary [[Iraq]] reflects the same natural division as ancient [[Mesopotamia]],<ref name=OCF>{{cite book|last1=Davidson|first1=Alan|authorlink1=Alan Davidson (food writer)|last2=Jaine|first2=Tom|authorlink2=Tom Jaine|title=[[Oxford Companion to Food|The Oxford Companion to Food]]|year=2006|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|isbn=978-0-19-280681-9|page=405}}</ref> which consisted of [[Assyria]] in the arid northern uplands and [[Babylonia]] in the southern alluvial plain.<ref name=OCF/> ''[[Al-Jazira, Mesopotamia|Al-Jazira]]'' (the ancient AssyriaChaldea) grows [[wheat]] and crops requiring winter chill such as [[apple]]s and stone fruits.<ref name=OCF/> ''[[Babylonia|Al-Irāq]]'' (Iraq proper, the ancient Babylonia) grows [[rice]] and [[barley]], [[Citrus|citrus fruits]], and is responsible for Iraq's position as the world's largest producer of [[Phoenix dactylifera|dates]].<ref name=OCF/>
==History==
Long-grain [[rice]] is a staple in Iraqi cookery.<ref name="Teen life" /><ref name="Iraq in Pictures" /> The Iraqi word for rice, ''timman'', is unique to Iraq and is of [[Akkadian language|Akkadian]] origin.
Iraqi rice cooking is similar to the method used for [[Persian cuisine|Persian]] ''[[Pilaf|chelow]]'',<ref name="GM>{{cite book|last=Marks|first=Gil|authorlink=Gil Marks|title=Encyclopedia of Jewish Food|year=2010|publisher=[[John Wiley & Sons]]|isbn=978-0-470-39130-3|page=585}}<"/ref> a multistep process intended to produce just-tender, fluffy grains.<ref name=GM/> A prominent aspect of Iraqi rice cooking is the ''[[Tahdig|hkaka]]'', a crisp bottom crust.<ref name=GM/> It differs slightly from the Persian ''tahdig'', which is a single thick piece; the ''hkaka'' contains some loose rice as well.<ref name=GM/> Before serving, the ''hkaka'' is broken into pieces so that everyone is provided with some along with the fluffy rice.<ref name=GM/>
*''[[Dolma]]'', the mixture of ground lamb or beef with rice is usually made with many fillings in the same preparing pot, as well as [[pomegranate]] juice, prominently used by North Iraqis to give it a unique taste. The [[Assyrian people|Assyrians]] of Iraq may either call it ''dolma'' or ''yaprekh'' which is the [[Syriac language|Syriac]] term for stuffed grape leaves. Iraqi Arabs usually served dolma without yoghurt. Often chicken or beef ribs are added to the cooking pot, and sometimes served with the dolma instead of masta or khalwah. Iraqi dolma is usually cooked and served in a tomato-based sauce. In Mosul, dolma is very popular. In Mosul they include courgettes, tomatoes, onions, peppers and grape leaves. They are occasionally smoked.