4 days ago
Baking memory: A man's 'kleicha' marks the taste of Eid in Najaf
Shafaq News/ On the eve of the feast (Eid), a quiet ritual begins across Iraq—not with fireworks or fanfare, but with a scent. It drifts from kitchen ovens and corner bakeries, heady with cardamom, date, and flour.
In Najaf, that scent leads you to Khalid Abu Zahraa's tiny shop on Al-Hussein Street, where 'kleicha' —the pastry that defines Eid for millions—is being prepared with care, memory, and meaning.
'This is our joy,' Khalid says, watching as another tray slides into the oven. 'Kleicha is how we feel Eid.'
For more than 25 years, Khalid has made kleicha the old-fashioned way, kneading dough with clarified fat, yellow flour, butter, and black seed, before filling it with hand-ground dates, crushed walnuts, or sticky rose-scented Turkish delight.
His recipe, handed down through his family, remains unchanged—but he's expanded it to meet the needs of the present, offering sugar-free versions for diabetic customers and olive oil alternatives for the health-conscious.
Customers are just as varied, locals stocking up for the feast, pilgrims drawn from Najaf's sacred shrines, and loyal regulars making the trip from Baghdad and Basra — all returning for trays of 'kleicha' baked in the same oven that shaped their childhood memories.
'This is a craft of trust,' Khalid says, adding 'They know the taste—they come back to find it again.'
A few days before Eid, Iraq hums with preparation. Clothes are pressed, floors swept, and fridges stocked. Yet amid the activity, it's 'kleicha' that fills the home with anticipation. Making it is a communal act—mothers, daughters, and grandmothers working dough together, shaping the future with hands rooted in the past.
On Eid morning, the rhythm shifts, children in new clothes crowd the streets, worshippers line the mosques, greetings echo from one doorway to the next, and inside every home, trays of 'kleicha' sit warm beside sacrificial meat, tea, and family.
In Iraq, Eid is more than a holiday, it's heritage you can smell. Its history is shaped by hand and served with hospitality. In places like Khalid's bakery, it's still alive—folded into pastry, baked into memory.
So if you ever pass through Najaf, follow the scent. You may find Khalid at his oven, offering not just a sweet, but a story that in every bite of 'kleicha' lies the flavorofEiditself.
