Afghan cuisine is influenced to a certain extent by Persian, Central Asian and Indian cuisines due to Afghanistan's close proximity and cultural ties.[1][2] The cuisine is halal and mainly based on mutton, beef, poultry and fish with rice and Afghan bread. Accompanying these are common vegetables and dairy products, such as milk, yogurt, and whey,[3] and fresh and dried fruits such as apples, apricots, grapes, bananas, oranges, plums, pomegranates, sweet melons, and raisins.[4] The diet of most Afghans revolves around rice-based dishes, while various forms of naan are consumed with most meals.[5] Tea is generally consumed daily in large quantities, and is a major part of hospitality.[6] The culinary specialties reflect the nation's ethnic and geographic diversity. The national dish of Afghanistan is Kabuli palaw, a rice dish cooked with raisins, carrots, nuts, and lamb or beef.[7]

Background[edit]

Location of Afghanistan in Asia

The cuisine of Afghanistan is halal and has elements from various places, for example garam masala from India, coriander and mint from Iran, dumplings and noodles from Uzbekistan and Xinjiang, China, and baklava from Turkey.[8][9] The similarities can be seen in the use of spices like cumin and cinnamon (as in Indian cuisine), green cardamom flavors (as in Chinese tea), and kebabs and yoghurts (as in Turkish and Arab cuisines).[10]

Staple foods[edit]

Rice[edit]

Afghan Kabuli palaw

Rice with kofta (meatballs) and corn

Rice is a core staple food in Afghan cuisine and the most important part of any meal.[9] Biryani is one of the less popular rice dishes in Afghanistan. It is consumed mostly in cities closer to neighboring Pakistan, such as Kandahar, Jalalabad and Khost. Challow, or white rice cooked with mild spices,[11] is served mainly with qormas (korma: stews or casseroles). Palaw is cooked similarly to challow, but a combination of meat, stock, qorma, and herbs are also mixed in before baking, resulting in the elaborate colors, flavors, and aromas from which the rice got its name. Sometimes caramelized sugar is used to give the rice a rich brown color. Examples of palaw include:

  • Kabuli palaw (the national dish[7]) – meat and stock are added, plus a topping of fried raisins, slivered carrots, and pistachios
  • Yakhni palaw – meat and stock are added to give the rice a brown color
  • Zamarod palaw – spinach qorma is mixed in before the baking process, hence zamarod, meaning "emerald"
  • Bore palaw – lawand is added giving the rice a yellow color
  • Landi palaw – a traditional meal of rice (with stock made from chicken or mutton that has been salted and dried in the sun)
  • Bonjan-e-roomi palaw – bonjan-e-roomi (tomato qorma) is added during baking giving the rice a red color
  • Serkah palaw – similar to yakhni pulao, but with vinegar and other spices
  • Shibet palaw – fresh dill and raisins are added during baking
  • Narenj palaw – a sweet elaborate rice dish made with saffron, orange peel, pistachios, almonds, and chicken
  • Maash palaw – a strictly vegetarian sweet-and-sour pilaf baked with mung beans, apricots, and bulgur wheat
  • Alou balou palaw – a sweet rice dish with plums and chicken

Afghan bread[edit]

This section is in list format but may read better as prose. You can help by converting this section, if appropriate. Editing help is available. (February 2022)

Naan (bread) from a local baker, the most widely consumed bread in Afghanistan

Afghan bread is flat and cooked in a tanoor or tandoor (a vertical ground clay oven). The bread is slapped onto a stone wall to cook. Tabakhai is a flatbread cooked on a flat upside-down pan.

Major dishes[edit]

Steamed dumplings[edit]

Mantu in a steamer before cooking

Afghan aushak

There is a wide variety of dumplings. Known under the name khameerbob and often eaten as dumplings, these native dishes are popular. Due to the long time required to make the dough for the dumplings, they are rarely served at large gatherings, such as weddings. They are instead served on special occasions at home.[citation needed]

  • Aushak – dumplings filled with a mixture consisting mainly of leeks, topped with either garlic-mint qoroot or a garlic yogurt sauce, sautéed tomatoes, red kidney beans, and a well-seasoned ground-meat mixture (It is a dish associated with Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan.)
  • Mantu – steamed dumplings filled with onion and ground beef or lamb, usually topped with a tomato- and yogurt- or qoroot-based sauce and then garnished with dried mint and coriander (The yogurt-based topping is usually a mixture of yogurt, garlic, and split chickpeas. The qoroot-based sauce is made of goat's cheese and also mixed with garlic; a qoroot and yogurt mixture will sometimes be used.)

Qormah[edit]

This section is in list format but may read better as prose. You can help by converting this section, if appropriate. Editing help is available. (February 2022)

Qormah (also spelled "korma" or "qorma") is an onion- and tomato-based stew or casserole usually served with challow rice.[3] First, onion is caramelized, for a richly colored stew. Then tomato is added, along with a variety of fruits, spices, and vegetables, depending on the recipe. The main ingredient, which can be meat or other vegetables, is added last. There are hundreds of different types of qormahs including:

  • Qormah e gosht (meat qormah) – usually the main qormah served with palaw at gatherings
  • Qormah e alou-bokhara wa dalnakhod – onion-based using veal or chicken, sour plums, lentils, and cardamom
  • Qormah e nadroo – onion-based, using lamb meat or veal, yogurt, lotus roots, cilantro, and coriander
  • Qormah e lawand – onion-based, using chicken, lamb, or beef, plus yogurt, turmeric, and cilantro
  • Qormah e sabzi – lamb, sautéed spinach, and other greens
  • Qormah e shalgham – onion-based using lamb, turnips, and sugar (sweet and sour taste)

Kabob[edit]

Kofta kabob with naan

Afghan kabob is most often found in restaurants and at outdoor street vendor stalls. Most of the time, it contains lamb meat. Kabob is made with naan instead of rice. Customers have the option to sprinkle sumac or ghora (dried ground sour grapes) on their kabob. Pieces of fat from the sheep's tail (jijeq) are usually added to the skewers to add extra flavor.

Chopan kabob being prepared

Other popular kabobs include the lamb chop, ribs, kofta (ground beef), and chicken.

Chapli kebab, a specialty of eastern Afghanistan, is a patty of minced beef. It is a popular barbecue meal in both Pakistan and Afghanistan. It is prepared flat and round and served with naan. The original recipe of chapli kabob dictates a half-meat, half-flour mixture which renders it lighter in taste and less expensive.