A Bad Joke About Abdoogh Khiar: Which Country Has Taken Iran’s Beloved Traditional Dish?

According to the Saed News analytical website, “Abdoogh Khiyar” can actually be considered one of the national dishes of Iranians. However, in this situation, like many of our national heritage elements that others try to claim as their own, this dish has also found a foreign claimant.

This time, the “TasteAtlas” website, through its Instagram account, introduced this food and, without mentioning Iran, attributed it to the Republic of Azerbaijan. Like many other countries in the Iranian cultural sphere, Azerbaijan in recent years has attempted not only to claim cultural figures but also elements of Iranian heritage. It appears that under such influence, “Abdoogh Khiyar” has also been registered under their name on this well-known site.

Meanwhile, Iranian Instagram users actively reacted and commented under the post, explaining that this dish is Iranian. In the related post, “Abdoogh Khiyar” was introduced under the name “Dorqamahj,” a term that is also used in some western parts of Iran for this dish. Another name used by the site is “ovdukh,” which is clearly the Persian “Abdoogh.”

This post was published by a reputable website that is usually considered neutral and has, in fact, shown a positive attitude toward Iranian foods and beverages, frequently including various Iranian dishes in its lists of popular foods. For example, Ghormeh Sabzi was ranked as the 8th most popular dish in the world two years ago. However, the video used in this post belongs to Azerbaijan’s national tourism foundation, and it appears that the post was published with support from Iran’s neighboring country.