BAGHDAD

- Two foods cross the regional borders. Wherever you go in any Iraqi city, you'll find street hawkers selling "lelababi" (boiled chickpeas) and "shalgam" (turnips) in abundance in the winter.

Most Iraqis are keen to eat these two foods in the winter, as they are warm and full of proteins and vitamins.

A vendor in Baghdad receives his customers who want to eat bulgur (Al-Jazeera)

ivy

From the early hours of the morning, the young man in his thirties, Omar Abdel-Rahman, sets out from his residence in the Bab Al-Sheikh area with his small cart to sell labbi in the Al-Sinak area, which sells various tools and car accessories in the center of the capital, Baghdad.

Abdul Rahman, a graduate of the Institute of Technology, did not find an opportunity to work in the public or private sector, and he resorted 11 years ago to selling watermelons in the summer on his small cart, and in the winter he moves to sell the bulbous that he prepares at night in his small house.

Abdel Rahman spoke to Al Jazeera Net about the method of preparing the famous meal in winter in Iraq, and explained that he prepares a large pot that accommodates about 100 liters of water and puts chickpeas in it for 6 hours, then puts it in another pot with lamb bones, covers it with a little meat and leaves it on a quiet fire until the chickpeas are cooked.

Abdul Rahman continues his speech, explaining that in the morning he keeps the pot on a quiet fire on the cart throughout the day so that it stays hot, and when the customer requests a bowl of labbi, he adds lemon and black pepper to it according to the customer’s desire.

Iraqis are keen to eat shalgam in the winter because of the nutritional benefits it has (Al-Jazeera)

shalgam with molasses

And near the Tayaran Square in the Bab al-Sharqi area in central Baghdad, which witnesses a crowd of pedestrians due to its commercial importance, a young man selling shalgam (turnip) told us about this food that is widespread in Iraq in winter.

Hamid Dhafer, known by his nickname Abu Hamida, told Al Jazeera Net that Iraqis are keen to eat molasses in winter because it contains protein and low calories.

Regarding the method of preparation, Abu Hamida explains that he first washes the scallop well with removing the head and base from it, then cuts it into 4 pieces, then puts it in a pot with an appropriate amount of water with the addition of salt and date molasses, leaves it on a medium heat for 4 hours, and then filters it of water and put it in small dishes in addition to the molasses.

It is noteworthy that the price of these two dishes is almost fixed in all Iraqi governorates, at a low price that is suitable for everyone. The price of one plate of lelabbi is about one thousand Iraqi dinars (65 cents), and the same price is for one dish of shalgam with molasses.

Nawara: The lelabbi food dates back to the period of Ottoman rule in Iraq, while Shalgham is Iraqi (Al-Jazeera)

The origins of the two dishes

Regarding the origins of the two popular dishes, the Iraqi journalist Nawara Qabbani says that it dates back to the Ottoman era in Iraq.

Nawara explained to Al Jazeera Net that the roots of “Lallabi” are apparent from his name, as the word “Lalabi” means in Turkish the fried or roasted chickpeas, this means that the recipe for cooking Lalababi is not Iraqi, but later entered the country with new additions to the Turkish recipe for chickpeas.

With regard to eating shalgam with molasses;

Nuwara indicated that this dish is of Iraqi origin. In Iraq, shalgam is eaten boiled and sold on carts by street vendors in the winter. Also, the soup called “sour shalgam” is made from it and is popular in the winter.

Health benefits

Regarding the two dishes, Dr. Sanad Al-Araji, head of the Food and Nutritional Sciences Association in Iraq, says that the health and nutritional benefits for them are great, noting that due to the good cooking of chickpeas and turnips, they eliminate bacteria, yeasts and fungi.

Speaking to Al-Jazeera Net, Al-Araji added that the two foods are very useful;

They warm the bronchi, especially for those with respiratory diseases.

And he indicated that chickpeas contain the famous sugars "Racinos" and "Astachyos" that do not increase the proportion of sugar in the blood of the human body, in addition to the fact that chickpeas - a legume - contain proteins that nourish the body and help promote the health of the digestive system and control sugar levels in the body. the blood.

Al-Araji warned of the health effects of eating ivy for people with colon disease, as it causes severe symptoms such as bloating of the colon and a high percentage of internal gases in the body.

With regard to eating shalgam, Al-Araji explained that it contains many nutrients important to the human body and its health, and is low in calories, which makes it have many different health benefits for the human body, pointing out that it is useful for people infected with the Covid-19 virus.

Mohsen supports preparing meals at home to limit the spread of Corona (Al-Jazeera)

Popular foods and Corona

There is an opinion of the Iraqi citizen, Qassem Mohsen, who points to the importance of legalizing carts of street food vendors to limit the spread of Corona.

Mohsen told Al Jazeera Net that it is better to prepare these two dishes at home, especially in light of the outbreak of Corona, where the virus may be transmitted through dishes, spoons and other tools.

He adds that the materials used to cook these foods are always of poor quality and exposed to insects, which may lead to food poisoning.

Mohsen calls on the Iraqi Ministry of Health to spread its medical and health detachments throughout the country to monitor street foods and verify their safety and freedom from contamination.