"I sell more than 30 pieces everyday"
Special Kubbah Restaurant in Sulaymaniyah Serves Warm Dishes for Winter
SULAYMANIYAH, January 22 – From her small restaurant located near the old courthouse in Sulaymaniyah, 24-year-old Rejin Ahmad offers a variety of locally-famous ‘kifta’ – or dumpling – dishes to both locals and tourists.
Her meals provide warmth and comfort during winter, as she explains that her restaurant’s menu is diverse and rich. Kifta is the most popular item in her restaurant, available in both different varieties.
Ahmed spoke to 964media and said, “I opened my restaurant ‘Kufta Khor’ meaning ‘Kifta Eaters’ in central Sulaymaniyah a few months ago. My restaurant is famous for Kurdish and Iraqi dishes with a twist, such as pacha, bean stew, kifta, meatballs, and more. However, the most popular are the sour turnip kifta in both yellow and red versions.”
“I exclusively sell kifta made from buckwheat and bulgur because kifta made of rice is not very popular and requires a lot of time and effort to prepare. Buckwheat kifta is common in many regions, but it’s special in Sulaymaniyah for its large size and thickness; we don’t consider it kifta if it doesn’t meet these specifications,” she said.
Ahmed added, “I sell Sulaymaniyah kifta or ‘Sabunkaran’ kifta for 5,000 Iraqi dinars. During winter, I sell more than 30 pieces everyday. For pacha, I try to add a Kurdish touch by filling the kifta with Kurdish rice, which adds a distinctive flavor to this rich dish.”