AKRE, Kurdistan Region - Farmers in the Akre district of Duhok province follow the traditional method to make high-quality pomegranate molasses.
Every fall, the families of Gundik village collectively harvest their pomegranates, selling some of the fruit and using the rest to make molasses.
Collective work is part of the traditional process, using skills learned after decades of farming. They do not use any machinery.
The first step is removing the seeds.
“It is better to remove the seeds using a stick to speed up the process. We do it collectively so that the work is done swiftly. We help our parents. We sell the good pomegranates untouched while making molasses from the rest,” said villager Bayan Mohammed.
The extracted juice is strained before being boiled. The natural sourness of the pomegranates enhances the quality of the molasses.
“We all work together to make molasses from morning to late afternoon. We have to monitor the process to make sure it is thick and the foam is skimmed off. We should also keep the fire burning so that it does not negatively change the taste. Sometimes we have to lower the heat so that it does not boil over,” said villager Amina Mohammed.
Customers prefer molasses that is thick, so the farmers do not add any water.
“We sell a kilo of thick molasses for seven to eight thousand dinars. No one buys the light one,” said farmer Mohammed Salih.
