XV. Modern Times

Iraq’s emergence into the modern world and the transition from the Ottoman era to ‘independence,’ though politically tumultuous, were more or less a subtle and smooth process from the culinary perspective. There is not much for me to say here, except that once again we are dealing with a situation where some foods and dishes or their names were regarded as status symbols.

The affluent of Baghdad, and those who had a Turkish connection through intermarriage or business or politics, were naturally more likely to embrace whatever new the Istanbul cuisine had to offer, and many followed suit, each according to his/her means, affiliations, and proximity to the urban centers. In the cooking of high society, for instance, spices were used moderately after the Istanbul fashion, but the ordinary people, especially going further south, kept to the inherited old tradition of using a variety of spices, and more liberally.