Kurdish raisins make Baghdad’s most famous juice

Each year, several tons of raisins are shipped from Chwarta in the Kurdistan Region’s Sulaimani to a refreshment store on Rasheed Street in Baghdad where they are blended into raisin juice by Haji Mohammed Zibala.

The name of the refreshment, Haji Zibala Refreshment (Muratabat Haj Zibala in Arabic), is famous in Baghdad. It was established in 1900, making it 122-years-old this year.

Poor and rich, famous and infamous, presidents and ministers, officials and writers, singers and artists, everyone has tasted Haj Zibala’s raisin juice. It is a must-drink for locals and foreigners alike.

“All the Iraqi kings and presidents have drunk raisin juice here,” Haji Zibala told Kurdistan 24. “King Faisal the first and the second, and the Iraqi presidents, including Saddam Hussein, Jalal Talabani, and Barham Salih.”

Kurdish residents in Baghdad and Kurdish tourists to Baghdad will not go home without drinking a glass of Haji Zibala’s raisin juice.

“Every time I come to Baghdad, I will come here and drink two or three glasses,” said Omed Anwer, a Kurdish tourist in Baghdad. “The taste is so good you cannot skip it. The more you drink, the more you want it. I love it more when I know the raisin is coming from Kurdistan, which is great!”

Even though the shop is small, people still seek it out, given the juice’s superb quality.

“I’ve tried raisin juice in many places, but this one is like no other,” said Salam Abood, a local Baghdad resident. “I believe it refers to the quality of the raisin and Haji Zibala’s secret sauce, the way he makes it. It is so good, so original.”

The shop has been a place for reconciliation, friendship, and networking between Kurds and Arabs. So many people have met here and became good friends.

“I have met my best friend here,” said Sadiq Imad, a resident from Baghdad, referring to his Kurdish friend who was with him drinking raisin juice.

“Back in the day, in the 1990s, I used to come here every day for a glass of raisin juice, and my friend here was doing the same,” he added. “So, we met, and we have been good friends since then.”

It is a proud family business that has connected the family to the Kurdish people in Erbil and Sulaimani.

“Due to this long career, I have made best friends in Erbil and Sulaimani,” said Haji Zibala.

“We are like brothers now.”