Kleicha

Kleicha is the most traditional cookie in Iraq. Historically it can be traced back to the ancient Mesopotamian ‘qullupu’ and the medieval irnin and khushkananaj cookies. Following is an excerpt from my article describing the ‘ritualistic’ traditions involved in making kleicha.

Kleicha is usually made at home in huge amounts – in the good old days, I should add. The cookies were baked in the domestic tannour or more conveniently sent to the neighborhood bakery, and then stored in covered wicker baskets. I remember when my mother used to prepare us for the kleicha day – usually two or three days before the beginning of ‘Id. ‘Making it earlier is risky,’ so my mother used to reason with us. ‘By the time ‘Id comes not enough kleicha would be left.’ Making these cookies required everybody to pitch in. The dough was usually assembled in a huge bowl called a nijana. The method is somewhat similar to making pie dough/pastry, but it requires much more kneading. We youngsters would hang around mesmerized by the whole process, and intoxicated by the aromas.