Kubba street vendor sees pushback from diners in Kut

KUT, September 12 — In an unusual move for the city of Kut, Abu Mustafa has opened a kebab cart serving kubba al-saray, or “palace kubba,” marking a new trend where vendors sell kebabs from food carts at night.

Abu Mustafa acknowledges that the people of Kut typically consider kebabs to be a heavy meal unsuitable for dinner, but he perseveres despite lower sales, believing in the deliciousness of his recipe. He also boosts the nutritional value of his kebabs with vegetables and uses high-quality grains in their preparation.

“I opened this project a month ago. I make the kubba at home, then I take the cart and add final touches to the dish before serving it hot to customers. Kut residents are not used to having kebabs at night; they believe it’s a heavy meal that is not suitable for dinner. However, I assure them that it is not the case.”

He offers one portion of kubba al-saray along with a side of hummus, onions, and pickles for 2,500 Iraqi dinars. He faces difficulties in lowering the price due to the cost of meat, which is 15,000 dinars per kilogram.

Abu Mustafa plans to introduce kubba al-hamid (a different kebab variety) in the winter and hopes for increased sales to make the project successful. Currently, the profits are not as high as he would like.

Most of his sales come from travelers who take the food to their families for dinner from nearby cafes. Few people stop by the cart to eat the meal because this “Egyptian-style” dining method is not very common in Kut.