Kurdish villagers turn grapes into sweet treats

(13 Oct 2022) IRAQ GRAPE TREATS SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS RESTRICTION SUMMARY: LENGTH: 2:51 ASSOCIATED PRESS Sulaymaniyah - 22 September 2022   1. Various of treats known locally as grape sujuk because of its elongated shape that somewhat resembles a sausage 2. Shop owner showing different types of sujuk, UPSOUND (Kurdish): "It dates back to '60s and '70s. These don't have walnuts inside, they are basic" 3. SOUNDBITE (Kurdish) Shad Kamal, sujuk shop owner in Sulaymaniyah: "Our sujuks come from Sulaymaniyah and Sargalu (village), these are organic (ones) from Sargalu, our village. It is the finest. There is no added sugar, it has all-natural ingredients, and (a kilogram) costs 12,000 dinars ($8). But those (made) in this area are sweetened a little bit and cost 6,000 dinars ($4)." Sargalu village, Sulaymaniyah - 22 September 2022   4. People at various stages of making grape sujuk at home   5. Various of black grapes in buckets   6. Man squeezing grapes by pressing on them with his feet 7. Grape juice collected in bowl   8. Various of women mixing flour with grape juice   9. SOUNDBITE (Kurdish) Bahar Mahmoud, sujuk maker from Sargalu village: "We pour two thirds of it (grape juice) into a pot, and we leave one part for this mixture, the leaven. Then, we pour flour onto it and mix it together to make the pastry. Once the contents of the pot start boiling, we gradually add this (mixture) and mix them together." 10. Various of people adding mixture into pot 11. Pot being heated by fire    12. Various of people attaching walnut to string   13. Woman removing upper layer of mixture in pot 14. Various of people soaking walnut strings in pot 15. SOUNDBITE (Kurdish) Baker Ahmad, sujuk maker from Sargalu village: "We have around 1,000 tons of grapes here. But because there are no factories that we could sell the grapes to, we are forced to load the grapes and take them to the city. We take the grapes on a pickup truck to Sulaymaniyah, Kirkuk, Chamchamal, and Kalar to sell them there. We turn the remaining grapes into sujuk, basuk (square-shaped grape delights), and paste (grape jam)." 16. Various of woman pouring grape paste onto tray 17. Man cutting grape sujuk into pieces 18. Grape sujuk strings   19. Homes and trees in village   LEADIN: Villagers in Iraq's Kurdish region use grapes to make a traditional sweet treat that comes plain or stuffed with nuts. Grapes grow in abundance in this area and the village of Sargalu alone has produced 1,000 tons of black grapes this year. STORYLINE: Some of the bluish-colored grapes harvested by villagers in the Kurdish region of Iraq will not end up in fruit bowls, and will be used to make tasty treats instead. Because of their elongated shape, the traditional sweets are known locally as grape sujuk, or grape sausage. The treat, which is made from natural ingredients only, comes in many variations and can either be plain or stuffed with nuts. At his shop in Sulaymaniyah, Shad Kamal slices one open to reveal the pistachios carefully tucked away inside. At the end of the grape harvest season in September, families in the nearby villages gather to make the sweet treats at home.   After selling some grapes, the villagers use the excess fruit to make the famous treat. Buckets of black grapes are placed in sacks and crushed by foot to extract all the juice. Some of the juice is heated in large pots and the remaining juice is incorporated into a flour mixture. The flour mixture is slowly added to the pots until the liquid thickens and reaches the right consistency. Clients are reminded: Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives ​​ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/53ee04afbee74f62b8e779f19b97fde1