By NARIN BARWARI
DUHOK, Kurdistan Region – Rooster meat is dominating the culinary scene in the city of Duhok in Iraqi Kurdistan, where some restaurants serve only cooked rooster, and clients speak of its health benefits and sometimes travel long distances to order the dish.
Ahmad Ali, a local farmer who raises roosters, says that the birds are valued not only for their quality meat, but also for cock-fights. “Domestically-raised roosters are in greater demand than those raised in the poultry farms,” he added.
“Some people travel long distances just to get the taste of the local rooster here,” said Mariwan Naif, a waiter at a restaurant that only serves rooster meat, and slaughters about 200 a day to meet demand.
“Every time I travel through Duhok I have to stop for rooster,” said Baran Natash from Turkey.
Mahmood Muhammad, who raises roosters, said that Kurdish rooster has a unique flavor. “It is an expensive meat. I only serve it to special guests,” he said.
A farmer at a special market where only roosters are sold said that 500 birds are sold there on the Muslim holiday, Friday, and that he sells around 150 himself.
Some people travel to the villages to purchase roosters directly from farmers.
Ghazi Salih, who regularly goes to the villages to buy roosters, said, “I am big on rooster meat. I heard its soup is very good for the throat. It also increases your appetite.”
Nuraldin, a physician, said that cooked rooster is rich in protein, just like other types of meat. He said there was no scientific evidence for other claimed benefits, such as being good for the throat, but that older people may have reached this conclusion through experience.
Comments
Rudaw moderates all comments submitted on our website. We welcome comments which are relevant to the article and encourage further discussion about the issues that matter to you. We also welcome constructive criticism about Rudaw.
To be approved for publication, however, your comments must meet our community guidelines.
We will not tolerate the following: profanity, threats, personal attacks, vulgarity, abuse (such as sexism, racism, homophobia or xenophobia), or commercial or personal promotion.
Comments that do not meet our guidelines will be rejected. Comments are not edited – they are either approved or rejected.
Post a comment