Bringing people together through food

The 2026 Lemon Tree Trust Cooking Competitions have brought together people from different cultural backgrounds to share the dishes and food traditions that are important to them this October. Across the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, our annual competition fixture continues to celebrate the diversity of local communities, while supporting people to connect through growing, preparing and sharing food.

Filmed by Ronak Qewas, a journalist from Kobani, Syria, who was forcibly displaced by war in 2015 and lives in Gawilan.

This year, the entries featured a range of culinary traditions, including Syrian-Arab cooking. Participants used ingredients grown in their home gardens and Lemon Tree Trust’s Hêvî and Hêvî community gardens, as well as ingredients sourced locally.

Among the dishes featured in this year’s competition were:

• Merchant’s Pockets (Jib al-Tajir), a traditional dish
• Kurdish-style mortadella, a meatloaf
• Biryani, a spiced rice dish
• Molokhia, also known as jute mallow, a leafy green vegetable grown by our gardeners
• Sahy, a traditional Kurdish dish prepared for special occasions
• Dolma or stuffed grape leaves

Recipes made with laban (a cooked fermented yoghurt) were also particularly popular this year.

Sharing recipes and traditions

We hold the competitions across refugee and IDP (internally displaced people) camps, home to people from different cultural backgrounds, including Syrian refugees and internally displaced Yazidis. These varied backgrounds are reflected in the recipes people bring to the competitions. Familiar dishes may have different names or be prepared and presented in different ways, depending on their cultural origins. The competitions offer an opportunity to explore these similarities and differences while ultimately bringing people together through food.

Aveen Ibrahem, Operations Manager in the Kurdistan Region, who oversees the competitions, has noticed how participants have become more serious about the competitions and more deliberate in the dishes they choose to enter. Aveen is proud of the range of recipes gathered through the competitions and the opportunity to recognise women’s skills and knowledge.

“I am proud of the vast collection of recipes and flavours we have gathered, showcasing cultural diversity from one region to another, even when the same dish goes by different names. I am also proud that we are making a difference in a world that often prioritises men while overlooking the role of women.”

Recognising women’s contributions and empowering women through community activities remains an important part of Lemon Tree Trust’s work.

Growing interest in the competitions

Interest in the competitions continues to grow, with more people keen to take part than the current format can accommodate. Each camp has a limit of 50 participants, leaving some disappointed when they cannot secure a place.

This year’s total of 350 participants was lower than last year’s because Bersive and Kabartu, previously counted as two separate camps each, have now been consolidated into one camp.

Participants compete in sweet and savoury categories, with cash prizes awarded to winners and all participants receiving a household appliance such as a food blender, kettle or electric heater.

“In the cooking competitions, I always notice how proud the participants are of their dishes. It’s in the way they describe their preparation process and the immense love they poured into their cooking. Our competitions are much more than just a routine activity; they are an opportunity for us to share love with one another after we have lost so much.”

For Aveen, the competitions offer a way for people who miss their homelands and homes to connect through food. She hopes that, with greater support, more people will have the opportunity to take part.

Thanks to our partners and team

We extend our thanks to Barzani Charity Foundation (BCF), WelatTV and Shams TV for their support in coordinating venues, judging and media coverage.

Our gratitude also goes to our dedicated gardening teams and camp coordinators, whose commitment helps these events run smoothly across all participating camps.

Support our cooking competitions

Your support helps Lemon Tree Trust continue its work with communities across the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, including home and community gardening, cooking competitions and other activities that promote wellbeing, women’s empowerment and access to fresh produce.

Support our work today