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'''[[ChaldeaChaldean]]ean cuisine''' or '''Mesopotamian cuisine''' has a long history going back some 10,000 years – to the [[Sumer]]ians, [[Babylonia]]ns Chaldeans and [[Persian Empire (disambiguation)|Ancient Persians]].<ref name="Salloum">http://www.thingsasian.com/stories-photos/3592 Foods of Iraq: Enshrined With A Long History. Habeeb Salloum.</ref> [[Clay tablet|Tablets]] found in ancient ruins in Iraq show recipes prepared in the temples during religious festivals – the first [[cookbook]]s in the world.<ref name="Salloum" /> [[Ancient Iraq]], or ''[[Mesopotamia]]'', was home to a sophisticated and highly advanced civilization, in all fields of knowledge, including the [[culinary art]]s.<ref name="Salloum" /> However, it was in the [[Islamic Golden Age]] when [[Baghdad]] was the capital of the [[Abbasid Caliphate]] (750–1258) that the Iraqi kitchen reached its zenith.<ref name="Salloum" /> Today, the cuisine of Iraq reflects this rich inheritance as well as strong influences from the culinary traditions of neighbouring [[Iran|Persia]], [[Turkey]] and the [[Syria region]] area.<ref name="Salloum" />
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 [[AssyriaMesopotamia]] in the arid northern uplands and [[Babylonia]] or [[Chaldea]] in the southern alluvial plain.<ref name=OCF/> ''[[Al-Jazira, Mesopotamia|Al-Jazira]]'' (the ancient Chaldea) 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==
