Iraqi cuisine or Mesopotamian cuisine is a Middle Eastern cuisine that has its origins from Sumerians, Akkadians, Babylonians, Assyrians and the other groups of the region.
Tablets found in ancient ruins in Iraq show recipes prepared in the temples during religious festivals—the first cookbooks in the world. Ancient Mesopotamia was home to a sophisticated and highly advanced civilization, in all fields of knowledge, including the culinary arts.
However, it was in the Islamic Golden Age when Baghdad was the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate (750–1258 AD) that the Iraqi kitchen reached its zenith. Throughout history, the cuisine of Iraq has made extensive contact with the cuisines of its neighbouring regions including Caucasian cuisine, Greek cuisine, Kurdish cuisine, Persian cuisine, and Turkish cuisine, among others. Today, the cuisine of Iraq reflects this rich inheritance as well as strong influences from the culinary traditions of neighbouring Iran, Turkey, and the Caucasus region.
Mesopotamian cuisine varies across the country. The cooking of Northern Iraq is known for adding pomegranate to the dolma juice prominently to give it a unique taste. In Southern Iraq, fish is used extensively. While in the middle region, in Baghdad and the surrounding cities is known for its variety of rice dishes and sweets.
Contemporary Iraq reflects the same natural division as ancient Mesopotamia, which consisted of Assyria in the arid northern uplands and Babylonia in the alluvial plain. Upper Mesopotamia grows wheat and crops requiring winter chill such as apples and stone fruits. Lower Mesopotamia grows rice and barley, citrus fruits, and is responsible for Iraq's position as one of the world's largest producer of dates.