well as households in the Levant and more recently has spread to Egypt. Beverages Alcoholic beverages Alcoholic beverages in Iraq are widely available everywhere with certain exceptions in Karbala and Najaf for religious reasons. Iraqis are great consumers of all kinds of alcohol except for those who follow the religious code. Arak, a clear, colourless, unsweetened anise-flavoured distilled alcoholic drink. Arak is usually not consumed straight, but is mixed in approximately ⅓︎ arak to ⅔︎ water, and ice is then added. Beer, a drink that originated in ancient Assyria and Babylon over 6,000 years ago. Cusa Masqool, an alcoholic drink which is made from fermented goats milk. It's mostly only found in the Kurdistan region and dates back to antiquity. Non-alcoholic beverages Coffee, a drink that has a strong and bitter taste, a popular beverage in Iraq. Sharbat, a chilled, sweet drink prepared from fruit juice or flower petals. Shinēna, a cold beverage of yogurt mixed with cold water, sometimes with a pinch of salt or dried mint added. Tea, also known as chai, is widely consumed throughout the day, especially in the mornings, after meals, and during social settings. It is prepared in a special way involving boiling tea in hot water, then placing it over a second tea pot with boiling water to let the tea infuse. Related cuisines Kurdish cuisine Armenian cuisine Assyrian cuisine Azerbaijani cuisine Caucasian cuisine Central Asian cuisine Iranian cuisine Levantine cuisine Mediterranean cuisine Middle Eastern cuisine Turkish cuisine See also Culture of Iraq Mesopotamia Masgouf Chelfray Kleicha Lokma Samoon Quzi Tandoor bread Ibn Sayyar al-Warraq References Bibliography ʻAlī Akbar Mahdī, (2003) Teen life in the Middle East, Greenwood Publishing Group, p. 40 -41 Jacob, Jeanne; Ashkenazi, Michael. (2007) The World Cookbook for Students, Greenwood Publishing Group p. 1 - 5 Nasrallah, Nawal (2003) Delights from the Garden of Eden: A Cookbook and a History of the Iraqi Cuisine, 1stBooks, External links Iraqi Food and Cuisine Delights from the Garden of Eden - A Cookbook and History of Iraqi Cuisine Ancient Mesopotamian cuisine Arab cuisine Levantine cuisine Middle Eastern cuisine