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Afghan Cuisine
| Article
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13460 |
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Section : |
LIFE
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| Issue
Date : |
9 / 1987 |
1,101 Words |
| Author
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Eloise Paananen
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If you consider exotic dining amid fragrant aromas of spices and mysterious surprises in vegetable cookery to be among life's grandest pleasures, pull up a cushion and taste what the Afghans have to offer.
Under a tent are large platters and pots filled with delicacies bearing strange-sounding names. Chalau (rice) and Korma (sauce), Kebab (chicken or lamb), Naun (whole meal bread), or Lawash (whole meal flat bread). Excellent tea comes much later, long after a desert of perhaps Baklava (paper-thin layers of honey-soaked pastry and walnuts) or Gosh-E-Feel (fried pastry in the shape of elephant's ear, dusted with cardamom, sugar, and pistachios).
The food is placed on a cloth spread over a carpet. Guests are usually given an individual bowl or plate but no silverware, because fool is generally eaten with the fingers of the right hand after the traditional hand washing. Bread is used for scooping up soft foods. Bowls of raw vegetables, plenty of fresh fruit, salads, pickles, and yogurt are prominently displayed. We are expected to enjoy large quantities of everything, including buttermilk or the yogurt drink called Dug.
It is a leisurely, non-fast-food occasion that demonstrates family closeness, religious and cultural traditions, and abundant hospitality.
Afghan cuisine resembles Indian curries and Pakistani staples. "The main difference is that we use more vegetables, fresh fruits, and nuts than do the others," says gourmet restaurateur Zalmi Niayz.
Chef Mohammed Husseini agrees and points out that Afghans are extremely particular about their rice preparation. "Every kernel must look like this," he says, holding a single sample between thumb and forefinger. "It must stand on its own." Afghans also marinate chunks of meat four or five hours before skewering.
Afghanistan's ethnically and linguistically mixed population, bordered by the Soviet Union, Iran, Pakistan and China, has lived for centuries as the historic trade and invasion route which led from Central Asia to the Middle East and India. Alexander the Great invaded the area in 328 B.C., followed by Scythians, White Huns, and Turks. In A.D. 652, the area fell to Arabs, who brought the new religion of Islam. Genghis Khan and his Mongol hordes plundered through the countryside in the thirteenth century, and Marco Polo journeyed through Afghanistan on his jaunt to China. The British traversed Afghanistan to and from their Indian colonies.
Almost all conquering groups, except Russia, had their impact on the evolution of Afghan cuisine. Outside influence, combined with the native fondness for vegetables, nuts and fruits, yogurt and distinctive mixes of spices and herbs, has resulted in a fascinating new chapter world cookery. Alas, a popular cookbook on the subject has not yet appeared.
Just about everything needed for this kind of cooking is available at the supermarket. Fresh coriander is preferable and can be grown from seed. Pick it before it flowers, then wash, drain, and store it in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. Or buy it from the store's spice ranks. Fresh garlic, onions, and dried mint, some hot chilis for flavoring, leeks, vegetable oil, lemons and
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