Iraqi food is honest, filling, and often very good. The cuisine shares the broader traditions of Arab cooking — lamb, rice, flatbreads, slow-cooked stews — but with its own particular flavors and dishes that go back, in some cases, thousands of years.
Masgouf is the national dish and the thing to eat if you are anywhere near the Tigris. Large carp are split open, marinated in oil, tamarind, and turmeric, and grilled for hours over an open wood fire. The flesh is smoky and tender, served with flatbread and pickles. In Baghdad, the banks of the Tigris are lined with masgouf restaurants. It is one of the oldest prepared dishes in the world and it is delicious.
Quzi is the other great centerpiece dish — a whole roasted lamb over rice, scattered with raisins, almonds, and cashews. It appears at weddings, celebrations, and family gatherings. When it is good, it is extraordinary.
Kubba (called kibbeh elsewhere in the Arab world) appears in many forms — as fried bulgur shells filled with spiced lamb, as flat patties, as balls poached in broth. Each region has its own version.
Dolma — vine or cabbage leaves stuffed with rice, minced lamb, and spices — is served across the country and is particularly good in Kurdistan.
Rice dishes are eaten daily: maqluba (layered rice, vegetable, and meat turned upside-down onto the plate), mujaddara (lentils and rice with caramelized onions), and various pilaf preparations.
Chai — strong, sweet black tea in small glasses — is ubiquitous and excellent. It is the social lubricant of Iraqi life. You will be offered it constantly and should accept.
In Kurdistan, restaurants are easy to find and varied. In Baghdad, the restaurant scene has revived considerably since 2017 and there are good options along Abu Nuwas Street on the Tigris riverbank. Outside major cities, options are simpler: kebabs, flatbread, rice, and whatever the house has cooking.