served with date or fig syrup. Other traditional Assyrian specialities include Tepsi (a casserole made in layers of fried potato, fried eggplant, fried green peppers, fried onions, meat, and tomatoes drenched in a tomato sauce and baked in the oven, not unlike the Levantine version of moussaka), shamakhshi (fried rolled eggplant stuffed with ground beef in tomato sauce), Dolma (rice and tomato sauce stuffed in grape leaves, cabbage, various peppers, zucchini, and eggplant), Masgouf (fish spiced with olive oil, salt, and turmeric, topped with tomatoes, potatoes, and onions then oven-baked) and Lahmacun (flatbread topped with ground beef, tomato paste, spices, and onions). Sesame seeds are important to the cuisine and used to make tahini, there is even an Assyrian folk tale about the gods drinking sesame wine on the night before they created the earth. Soups and stews Boushala (or bushala) is one of the oldest known dishes, it is a yoghurt-based soup with assorted greens such as swiss chard or spinach and bulgur wheat. This soup can be served hot or cold. Dikhwah (or dokhwa) is a dried yoghurt-based heavy stew with barley and meat. Harissa (or hareesa) is a porridge made with hulled wheat berries, and deboned chicken or beef, and broth, sometimes eaten with butter or cinnamon. Tashrib (or tashreeb) a soup made of chickpeas, onions, and chicken or lamb meat, often served on top of bread at breakfast. Tashrib is similar to a Syrian dish called fatta and an Iraqi dish called tashghib, there are variations of the dish that may include more toppings like lentils, noodles, and pomegranate. Pacha (is similar to Armenian and Turkish dishes) this heavy stew consists of lamb stomach stuffed with rice, brain, tongue, liver, or offal. Desserts There are several different types of desserts such as cakes and cookies, which include baklava, kulecheh, kadeh, nazoochi, and others. Due to the influence from the post-Ottoman occupation of Iraq and Syria by the British and French many customs were picked up from the colonial administrators, and tea and biscuits are often eaten as snacks. Kadeh looks like a thick yellowish flat bread though it contains plenty of butter, eggs, and sugar which renders it a very sweet pastry. Kadeh are usually prepared alongside kulecheh and are served during Christmas. Nazoochi is similar to kadeh but sweeter and cut into a triangle shape; it is served during tea time or during social events.