I started with food first, because it's a great introduction to any culture and language. Food is a big part of Kurdish culture, so, learn these words and make fast friends.
Kurdish food can vary by region and even by family, so what I present below is a snapshot of the foods I enjoyed first in San Diego and later in Iraq. The families with whom we lived in California were from the Sulemania and Halabja areas which is also where I lived in Iraq. I don’t know much about Hewleri or Dohuki food let alone Kurdish food in Turkey or Iran.
Kurdish food is a blend of regional dishes with local ingredients. The dishes are often similar to what one might find in a Turkish, Lebanese or even Indian restaurant, but in Kurdistan, the dishes have their own unique flavors.
I, for one, have never had falafel better than the falafel I had in Sulemania. The same goes for Briyani.
Below, I will spell the names of the dishes and foods with latini. Remember to
see here for a refresher on pronunciation.
Breakfast: A typical Kurdish breakfast is fairly light.
| Kurdish | English |
|---|
| Mast | Yoghurt |
| Hangwîn | Honey |
| Nan | Bread |
| Moz | Bananas |
| Ḧelke Ron | Fried Egg |
| Ça | Tea |
| Penîr | Cheese |
An everyday breakfast would just be nan u mast, but the others mix in as well. Of course, no breakfast is complete without Ça.
My favorite breakfast was to mix my mast with date syrup. It was great, but I have no idea what the Kurdish word for date syrup is. Sorry.
Lunch and Dinner: Lunch and dinner foods are usually the same. We often ate lunch at the office where we had a cook. She made some really great things! (Although, some of my co-workers complained about the excessive amounts of oil!)
| Kurdish | English |
|---|
| Birinc | Rice |
| Zalate | Salad |
| Fasulîe | Beans |
| Kube | Ground meat wrapped in rice |
| Brîanî | Spiced rice with anything and everything in it |
| Kufte | Ground meat wrapped in wheat served in a tomato soup |
| Tepsî | Eggplant, zucchini, onions and potato fried with spices |
| Yapraẍ/ Dolme | Ground meat wrapped in grape leaves or stuffed in variousvegetables |
| Şile | Tomato-based stew with one of many vegetables |
| Şufte | Little spiced-meat patties (My personal favorite!) |
There are many other words you’ll need to cook and eat in Kurdistan. I have tried to include those below. I have also included separate tables for fruits and vegetables.
| Kurdish | English |
|---|
| Goşt | Meat |
| Qȋme | Ground meat |
| Mirişik | Chicken |
| Qal | Turkey |
| Masȋ | Fish |
| Samun | Bread loaves or buns |
| Ron | Oil |
| Şekir | Sugar |
| Ard | Flour |
| Mast Aw | Yogurt and water drink |
| Do | Like Mast Aw, but when made traditionally, it’ssemi-fermented in an animal stomach |
| Gȋpe | Meat cooked in a cow's stomach |
| Sȇr u Pȇ | Head and feet. Sheep’s brains and feet |
| Kabab | Meat patty on a skewer |
| Tike | Meat chunks on a skewer |
| Gwȇs | Nuts |
| Xwȇ | Salt |
Fruits and Vegetables: The secret to Kurdish culture is this: when you are invited to dinner or visit someone, they will eventually serve you fruit. The fruit is your sign that it’s time to go.
| Kurdish | English |
|---|
| Sȇw | Apple |
| Pirtikal | Orange |
| Hunir | Pomegranate |
| Tirȇ | Grape |
| Moz | Banana |
| Kişmiş | Raisin |
| Qeȋsȋ | Apricot |
I don’t like vegetables all that much, so my vocabulary is slim. Sorry.
This certainly isn’t an exhaustive list, but it’s a good start.
If you have recipes for any of these foods, please post them in the comments. I can only make rice and şile.
