Afghan cuisine

Afghan cuisine comprises the cooking practices and food traditions of the people of Afghanistan and communities originating from that country. It is built on rice, tandoor bread, lamb and mutton, fish and poultry, legumes and vegetables, and dried fruits such as apricots and raisins. Spicing is moderate: generous but not intensely hot, which distinguishes it from the neighboring cuisine of the Indian subcontinent.

Afghanistan's location—on the ancient trade routes of Central Asia connecting Iran and India—has shaped its food. Central Asian pilaf appears in the form of rice cooked in meat broth; tandoor-style bread is shared with Iran and Southwest Asia; and the use of spices such as cardamom, cloves and pepper reflects influence from the Indian subcontinent.

Common dishes

Kabuli pulao (Qabili palaw) is the national dish: rice cooked in meat broth and garnished with fried carrots, apricots and raisins. Mantu is a dumpling with light pastry filled with spiced meat and onion, topped with a sauce and typically served with yoghurt and lentils. Aashak is another dumpling filled with green vegetables such as leeks. Bolani is flatbread filled with potatoes, vegetables or legumes, then pan-fried.

Bread and meat

Naan and other tandoor breads are eaten daily and are commonly accompanied by sauce or broth. Kebabs—such as seekh kebab and chapli kebab made from ground meat—are street and restaurant food. Shorwa is a meat and vegetable broth in which bread is dipped, typically shared by families.

Yoghurt, vegetables and sweets

Dried yoghurt (qurut) and whey (chaka) provide tart accompaniments to mantu, aashak and rice. Dried fruits and nuts—including apricots, pistachios, almonds and rice pudding—are local products also exported. Sweets include sheer payra and firni (a cardamom-flavored milk pudding) and jelabi.

Tea and hospitality customs

Green and black tea are among the most prominent markers of hospitality. When a guest is received, tea and dried fruits are served first. Meals are commonly eaten on the ground, on a mat or rug (dastarkhan), and shared from a single large platter.