The Best of Afghan Cooking

Since ancient times, Afghanistan's location inthe heart of Central Asia has made it a crossroads for multiple cultures and culinaryinfluences. The ancient city of Kabul was a hub for European, Chinese andIndian merchants as well as intellectuals and spiritual leaders. In thiscontext, Afghanistan's rich and multifacetedculinary identity evolved.

To this day, Afghans retain the tradition ofpreparing food with freshly harvested ingredients. In most villages, flour isstill ground in local mills and cows are milked daily, and the milk is thenprocessed into fresh butter or yogurt. Kabobs, ranging from chicken, beef, lamband fish, are seasoned with delicate spices before grilling. A variety of freshvegetables, fruits, and herbs, along with lentils and meat, are used to preparetraditional stews called qurmas. ConsideredAfghanistan's national food, rice dishes called palow are cooked with meat, onions, and distinctivespices such as cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, and black pepper. Dough prepared with fresh ingredients is shapedinto bread, cookies, and cakes before being baked in a preheated ground ovencalled a tandoor. Aromatic spices and crunchy roasted nuts combined withfresh milk and wheat create unique desserts that are simple to prepare butdeliver impressive results.

Kabul native Zarghuna Adel bringsa lifetime of cooking experience and years of research into this uniquecookbook, which features authentic Afghan recipes that were lost or forgottenin the course of four decades of war and displacement. This volume featuresover 225 recipes, each with easy-to-follow instructions and a color photograph.Fifteen chapters cover the range of Afghan culinary offerings, from appetizers,soups, salads, and main dishes to condiments and desserts, and each chapter includesa detailed introduction to the history, origins, and cultural traditions thatsurround the recipes.

Sample recipes:

• Ashak (leek dumplings with yogurt and ground beef)
• Kabob Teka (marinated lamb andvegetable kabobs)
• Badenjan Borani (eggplant appetizer with tomatoes and yogurt)
• Chapli Kabob(fried spicy ground beef patties)
• Qabeli Palow  (long grainrice with onions, spices and tender meat)
• Halwa Ardi (wheat flour halwa with cardamom and nuts)
• Rout (fluffy sweet bread with sesame and nigellaseeds)
• Chai Chawa (green tea with ginger,fennel and walnuts)

The most comprehensive collection of authenticAfghan recipes published in English, this cookbook brings the legendaryhospitality and foods of the Afghan table to readers everywhere.

Sinceancient times, Afghanistan's location in the heart of Central Asia has made ita crossroads for multiple cultures and culinary influences. The ancient city ofKabul was a hub for European, Chinese and Indian merchants as well asintellectuals and spiritual leaders. In this context, Afghanistan's rich and multifaceted culinary identityevolved.

To this day, Afghans retain the tradition of preparing foodwith freshly harvested ingredients. In most villages, flour is still ground inlocal mills and cows are milked daily, and the milk is then processed intofresh butter or yogurt. Kabobs, ranging from chicken, beef, lamb and fish, areseasoned with delicate spices before grilling. A variety of fresh vegetables, fruits,and herbs, along with lentils and meat, are used to prepare traditional stewscalled qurmas.  Considered Afghanistan'snational food, rice dishes called paloware cooked with meat, onions, and distinctive spices such as cumin, cardamom,cinnamon, cloves, and black pepper. Dough prepared with freshingredients is shaped into bread, cookies, and cakes before being baked in apreheated ground oven called a tandoor. Aromatic spices and crunchy roastednuts combined with fresh milk and wheat create unique desserts that are simpleto prepare but deliver impressive results

Kabul native Zarghuna Adel brings a lifetime of cooking experienceand years of research into this unique cookbook, which features authenticAfghan recipes that were lost or forgotten in the course of four decades of warand displacement. This volume features over 225 recipes, each with easy-to-followinstructions and a color photograph. Fifteen chapters cover the range of Afghanculinary offerings, from appetizers, soups, salads, and main dishes to condimentsand desserts, and each chapter includes a detailed introduction to the history,origins, and cultural traditions that surround the recipes.

Sample recipes:

·       Ashak (leek dumplings with yogurt and groundbeef)

·       Kabob Teka (marinated lamb andvegetable kabobs)

·       Badenjan Borani (eggplant appetizerwith tomatoes and yogurt)

·       Chapli Kabob (fried spicy ground beef patties)

·       Qabeli Palow  (long grain rice with onions, spices andtender meat)

·       Halwa Ardi (wheat flour halwawith cardamom and nuts)

·       Rout (fluffy sweet bread with sesame and nigella seeds)

·       Chai Chawa (green tea with ginger,fennel and walnuts)