Erbil -

Saif Al-Din Ali Al-Saray is packing his bag in preparation to return to his family in the capital, Baghdad, from Erbil, the city in which he stayed for a week, enjoying its autumn weather away from the hustle and bustle of the capital and its traffic jams. As he prepares for the return trip, remember an important thing, if something must be brought Distinguished from the city, and sausage dessert is one of the hallmarks of the city of Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan, and one of its distinguishing marks.

Al-Saray says, "Family, relatives and friends stressed their advice to him to bring sausage from the city of Erbil, as it is a distinct dessert in this city with its good taste and different from other types of sausage in other places, and it is one of the best gifts that can be brought from the city."

Al-Saray: sausage is the best gift for friends and family (Al-Jazeera)

He adds that sausage is available in the capital, Baghdad, but it is different in terms of taste and taste, as well as its high price in Baghdad compared to its price in the city of Erbil. The price of one kilo of this sweet in Baghdad is 14,000 Iraqi dinars (equivalent to 10 dollars), while it does not exceed The price of a kilo in Erbil is only 5,000 dinars (equivalent to about 4 dollars), and "as it is clear, the difference in price between the two cities is large," according to the Saray.

Barhoum: Sausage dessert was made in the villages and then transported to the Citadel of Erbil (the island)

old candy

Sausage is one of the well-known old sweets in the city of Erbil. People, especially tourists, buy the locally made kind that has a special flavor and contains nuts, walnuts, and other flavorings.

In the city of Erbil, there is an archaeological place known as the "Citadel of Erbil", which is an archaeological fortress located on a hill and the center of the city of Erbil in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, which is listed on the World Heritage List.

There are large shops selling sausages in this castle, and whoever visits the city of Erbil must pass by its historical castle and draw his attention to the sausage hanging in the form of necklaces in those shops.

Azad Barhoum, one of the shop owners in the Citadel area, confirms that "sausage has been sold in this market for more than 70 years," noting that it "is made from pure raisins and mixed with walnuts."

Barhoum added, "Sausage candy was made in the villages, and transported from them to the Citadel area," pointing out that there is a great demand for this dessert from those coming to Erbil from the various governorates of Iraq, or foreign tourists. Families and relatives, as well as being healthy and safe food even for patients, Barhoum points out.

Sausage is made from a mixture of flour, starch, sugar, grape molasses, mastic, gelatin and walnuts (Al-Jazeera).

How to prepare it

Erbil sausage is one of the most famous and luxurious types of sweets, and many describe it as the master of sweets, and it consists of flour, starch, sugar, grape molasses, mastic, gelatin and walnuts.

Ali Mardan, one of the owners of sausage factories and owner of shops selling nuts and sweets, draws attention to the fact that “the famous sausage is the Mosuli sausage, which consists of natural materials that include walnuts, students, starch, milk and black grapes. Its sweetness is less than the sweetness of the Mosuli and Erbil sausage," noting that "people turn to Erbil sausage because of its distinct flavour, and the sweetness of the sausage is often fresh because it is brought from the factories directly to the shops."

A shop selling sausage candy in the market of Erbil Castle (Al Jazeera)

Mardan points out that the manufacture of sausage in the city of Erbil is by soaking the walnut, then the women organize the walnut fruits into a thread in the form of a pool, then dipped in the flavor consisting of flour and sugar, then dried and other flavors are added to it that make it taste good and different from the rest of the types of sausage.

The sight of the sausage candy necklaces hanging in the shops provokes appetite, and those coming to the city of Erbil often accept to buy them in order to get the taste of it, and they often bring them as gifts for their families, documenting their visit to the city and its famous historical castle.