Saed Kamal Saed Ali’s hair has turned white in the decades he’s worked in this small kitchen in Erbil’s downtown Arab neighbourhood, one of the oldest in the Kurdistan Region’s capital. 

For 65 years, he has made kibbeh, a traditional dish of spiced meat fried in a bulgur pastry. He inherited the business from his father who started it when he was only 15. 

People come from across the Kurdistan Region to taste his kibbeh, but he says the dish is losing popularity. 

"The current young generation is more interested in fast food. They rarely come to the bazaars. They spend a lot of time on their devices,” he said. The youth "prefer western dishes over the traditional ones."

Despite the declining interest, Ali says he will not slow down. "So long as I have energy in my body and hands, I will remain in this business," he said. He earns around 50,000 Iraqi dinars ($42) daily.