If you’ve tasted Indian, Turkish, Arabic or Persian food, an Afghan menu will contain some familiar terms and flavors. Situated north of India, east of Iran, south of Russia and southwest of China, Afghanistan was, and still is, a strategic and culinary crossroads.
Spices include anise, cardamom, cilantro leaves and seeds (also known as coriander), cumin, dill, fenugreek, ginger and turmeric. Main dishes center on roasted or braised meats and vegetables, served with rice or flatbread. The flavors are not as spicy as many Indian foods.
Here are some typical Afghan dishes:
B Bolani (or “boulanee”): a hand-held potato- or leek-filled pastry
B Burani: roasted or fried eggplant served with yogurt
B Kebab: marinated meat, cubed or minced, usually cooked on a skewer
B Kofta: a Persian term for “pounded meat,” usually in the form of meatballs
B Korma: a thick stew that originated in Afghanistan and spread to northern India with the Moghuls
B Naan (or “nan”): yeasty, wheat-flour flatbread
B Pilaf (sometimes spelled “pallow”): long-grain rice usually cooked with meat
Sources: “Afghan Food & Cookery,” “The Oxford Companion to Food”
