Mosul

Iraqi North means Mosul, the Nineveh plains and Kurdistan — a table distinct from Baghdad, with a mountain and nomadic base. Mosul was always a trade hub and is known for its kubba: not the common oval ball but a large flat disc, bulgur and potato pressed into a crust, layered with spiced minced meat, baked in a tray and cut into wedges. The Kurdish kitchen is its own branch: yaprakh is their stuffed grape leaves and vegetables, filled with rice, herbs, sometimes meat — same family as Arab dolma but differently seasoned. Trshik is a sour lamb-and-eggplant stew with sumac, the mountain winter pot. Kurdish kutilk dumplings, kelane stuffed flatbread, and maklama the egg-and-meat dish are home foods of the North found nowhere else. Mountain dairy, lamb and wheat dominate; spice is more restrained than the center.