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Jazira and Euphrates Foodways

Regional

⚠ THIS IS MESOPOTAMIA, NOT THE MEDITERRANEAN, and it is the distinction the spec asks for. Al-Hasakah, Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor lie on the EUPHRATES and the Khabur in the Jazira — the "island" between the rivers — and their food looks east to Iraq rather than west to the sea. WHEAT and BARLEY on the rain-fed plain, which made this Syria’s breadbasket; lentil, chickpea and SESAME; COTTON as the cash crop that reshaped the irrigation; DATES in the river oases; sheep from the steppe; and RIVER FISH — carp and Euphrates catfish — grilled split over embers in the manner called masgouf in Iraq. The peoples are ARAB tribal confederations, KURDS, SYRIAC and ASSYRIAN Christians in the Khabur villages, ARMENIANS, and Yazidis. ⚠ AND NO DISH HERE IS ASSIGNED TO ONE COMMUNITY WITHOUT EVIDENCE: they share a granary and a river.

Atlas — where and when

Where in the world

Communities and languages

  • Arabs community documented
  • Kurds community documented
  • Syriacs community documented
  • Assyrians community documented
  • Armenians community documented

Languages: North Levantine Arabic, Northern Kurdish, Assyrian Neo-Aramaic, Turoyo, Armenian

What is recorded

  • The Jazira and Euphrates provinces are recorded as Mesopotamian rather than Mediterranean in their foodways, growing wheat and barley on the rain-fed plain, with dates in the river oases and a grilled split river fish tradition cognate with Iraqi masgouf. The population includes Arab tribal confederations, Kurds, Syriac and Assyrian Christians, Armenians and Yazidis; no dish is attributed to one community without evidence. documented

Related foodways

This foodway relates to

  • related to Iraqi Cuisine documented

    ⚠ This is Mesopotamia. The Jazira looks east to Iraq, not west to the Mediterranean, and the grilled river fish is the masgouf tradition.

Recipes

No recipes are filed under this cuisine yet.