Thoughs from Baghdad

I  think about it at least a dozen times a day. If there is a piece floating around the kitchen I will sniff it out and scoff it down. My dreams are sometimes punctuated with images of the stuff and I invariably wake up craving one.

After a life-time of successfully avoiding addiction to substances such as alcohol or tobacco, I have finally met my match: Iraqi bread, aka “samoon”.

Try to imagine the flavour and texture of a fresh, plain bagel that has mated with a panini and a soft, white roll. Mold the mix into the shape of a deflated rugby ball, shove it in the oven until it is fluffy and warm on the inside, smooth and firm out the outside and voila, samoon.

This scrumptious nugget of baked pleasure adorns breakfast tables up and down Iraq, where it is lovingly dunked into bowls of cream-cheese, honey or jam.

The Times Baghdad Correspondent Deborah Haynes