As part of the activities of the Dialogue and Understanding Others Camp in the Nineveh Plain, participants in the camp were introduced to the types of dishes and the most famous Shabak cuisine.
Mrs. Um Mahdi and her family hosted the Knights of Dialogue team and prepared a diverse table of traditional Shabak dishes. The table included Kufta Do, one of the most famous types of kibbeh, made from boiled bulgur mixed with water and spices, stuffed with fried eggs, and cooked in yogurt or tomato sauce according to preference. Also served was Labneh Kibbeh, made from fine bulgur crushed into dough, stuffed with meat and onions, and boiled in a mixture of yogurt and water. Sweet Kibbeh was also offered, prepared similarly to Labneh Kibbeh but cooked with date syrup.
Mrs. Um Mahdi and her daughters also introduced visitors to other dishes that form the identity of Shabak cuisine, such as Kefta Badro, Hashasha Khousha, Dogwa, Zankal, Nani Brashem, Odo, and Karak Keshk. She added that these foods represent an essential part of the Shabak identity, emphasizing that continuing to cook them and teach them from mothers to daughters preserves the city’s identity and that of the Shabak community.
Participants in the camp, organized by Masarat Foundation for Cultural and Media Development in cooperation with KAICIID and the House of Coexistence, also discussed the role of cuisine in preserving the heritage and identity of minorities, highlighting how Shabak cuisine represents a unique cultural identity amidst the diversity of the Nineveh Plain.
At the end, the campers presented souvenirs to Mrs. Um Mahdi’s family in gratitude for their warm welcome and hospitality.
The “Through Dialogue, We Remain and Rise” camp started in Baghdad with the participation of youth from Sinjar, later joined by youth from Baghdad in its first phase, then continued in Basra, Dhi Qar, the Nineveh Plain, and the Old City of Mosul. The camp will continue its tour across other Iraqi cities as part of a program aimed at promoting dialogue as a means to build peace among followers of different religions and to reject hate speech.
