Kleicha

Kleicha (ܟܠܝܟ̰ܐ,كليچة)
Type	Cookie
Place of origin	Sumer-Babylonia-Assyria, Iraq, Mesopotamia
Region or state	Iraq, Saudi Arabia
Serving temperature	Hot or cold
Main ingredients	Dough, Nuts, Dates, Turkish dessert and Sesame seeds.
	Cookbook: Kleicha (ܟܠܝܟ̰ܐ,كليچة); Media: Kleicha (ܟܠܝܟ̰ܐ,كليچة);

Kleicha (Syriac: ܟܠܝܟ̰ܐ killecha, Arabic: كليچة,Turkish: kiliçe ) is sometimes considered the national cookie of Iraq, due to Assyrian influence of the country.^[2]

Kleicha come in several traditional shapes and fillings. The most popular are the ones filled with dates (kleichat tamur). There are also sweet discs (khfefiyyat), as well as half moons filled with nuts, sugar and/or desiccated coconut (kleichat joz). They are usually flavoured with cardamom and sometimes rose water, and glazed with egg wash, which may sometimes be scented and coloured with saffron.^[3]

Iraqi Kleicha

Iraqi people make kleicha for Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha and also for their celebrations, weddings or special ceremonies and they are stuffed with many different fillings like dates, pistachios, walnuts, coconuts, dried figs, sesame seeds or Turkish delight.

Najdi kleicha from Qassim

Assyrians bake Kilecheh on Eeda Gura, Easter, and Eeda Sura, Christmas, in which they are usually stuffed with dates and served with tea.^[4]

References[]

^ Nasrallah, Nawal. "The Iraqi Cookie, Kleicha, and the Search for Identity".
^ "How to make sweet date cookies from Iraq". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 2020-01-04.
^ "Delights from the Garden of Eden: An Iraqi Cookbook". Archived from the original on 2008-05-13. Retrieved 2007-12-15.
^ "Assyrian Voice Library - Kileche". Archived from the original on 2013-06-29. Retrieved 2013-06-29.

Kleicha

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