Quzi
 Iraqi quzi | |
| Alternative names | Quzi, Qoozi, Ghuzi, Ghoozi |
|---|---|
| Course | Meal |
| Place of origin |  Iraq |
| Region or state | Middle East, Persian Gulf and North Africa |
| Associated cuisine | Iraqi cuisine |
| Created by | Iraqis |
| Main ingredients | Lamb, rice, roasted nuts and raisins |
Quzi (Arabic: قوزيCategory:Articles containing Arabic-language text), also spelled as qoozi or ghoozi, is a popular rice-based dish and is considered one of Iraq's national dishes. It is served with very slowly cooked lamb, roasted nuts, and raisins served over rice.[1] The dish was introduced into Turkey by Syrian immigrants.Category:All articles with unsourced statementsCategory:Articles with unsourced statements from March 2023[citation needed] The dish can also be found in some Arab states of the Persian Gulf.Category:All articles with unsourced statementsCategory:Articles with unsourced statements from March 2023[citation needed]
Etymology
The Arabic word quzi (Arabic: قوزيCategory:Articles containing Arabic-language text) comes from Ottoman Turkish kuzı (Ottoman Turkish: قوزیCategory:Articles containing Ottoman Turkish (1500-1928)-language text) meaning 'lamb'.[2][3]
Quzi originally referred to a dish made of lamb stuffed with rice and ground meat, but now refers to a variety of dishes with similar ingredients.[4][3]
Variations
In Iraqi cuisine, it is usually prepared by stuffing a whole lamb with rice, vegetables, spices and nuts and slow-cooking it over a closed or submerged oven.[4] In some places in the Middle East it is buried in a pit containing burning coal or charcoal to get the smoky flavor.
There are many variations to this technique such as in Saudi Arabia and Yemen, where it is called madfoon, cooked by being wrapped in aluminium foil and kept on an open heat source. In Oman and UAE it is called shuwaa and is traditionally eaten on festive occasions, prepared by wrapping the marinated meat in date palm leaves and placing the wrapped meat in a submerged oven.
In Jordan, and Syria it is known as zarb; the meat is portioned into smaller pieces and kept along with vegetables and bread dough so that the flavors are enhanced.Category:All articles with unsourced statementsCategory:Articles with unsourced statements from June 2025[citation needed] Another version popular in Jordan and Syria uses ground lamb meat instead of whole lamb.[5][3]
Another variant is called haneeth where it is cooked inside a hot tabun; this variation can be found in most Middle Eastern countries as well as the Horn of Africa and North Africa.
See also
References
- ↑ Whole Roasted Lamb (Qoozi) in Maryam's Culinary Wonders
- ↑ "kuzu". Nişanyan Sözlük (in Turkish). Retrieved 16 June 2025.Category:CS1 Turkish-language sources (tr)
- 1 2 3 O'Neill, Holly; Kassis, Reem (21 February 2021). "Reem Kassis: how I brought my Palestinian heritage to the table". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
- 1 2 Quozi: an Iraqi lamb recipe from chef Philip Juma. Evening Standard, 24 December 2015
- ↑ Gorsky, Faith (6 November 2024). "Lamb Ouzi Rice". An Edible Mosaic™. Retrieved 16 June 2025.