In the late 1980s 4,000 Kurdish villages in Northern Iraq were destroyed during the Anfal campaign, much of the surviving population were forced to move into the cities.  Since that time many traditional Kurdish recipes from the villages are being forgotten. 

This recipe for Halway Gula Zerd (Yellow Rose Dessert) is one such recipe, it comes from our friend Raz who lives in Sulaimaniyah, she learned the recipe from her mother who is an expert in traditional Kurdish cuisine.  This dessert is not hard to make, but does take time.  Also, the yellow rose petals can be costly since they must now be imported from Iran and are not always easy to find. For these reasons it is a special occasion dessert.