Our Afghani Meal
Since we are not able to travel right now, we decided to do the Gura Global Grub tour. I found this awesome site -> http://globaltableadventure.com that has meal plans with recipes for 195 countries! I don’t know if we will get through all of them but we will have fun trying. We will probably only do one every other week so it will take years to do all 195!
I decided to go alphabetically so our first country was Afghanistan. We read a little history from Wikipedia to add to the experience.
The Afghan diet consists of a lot of rice, lamb, and bread (nan). Tea is very popular and alcoholic beverages are prohibited. Afghans generally sit on a mat on the floor and food is served in a communal dish. Food may be eaten with the right hand or a piece of nan.
Our meal included Sabse Borani (Spinach Yogurt Dip) with Noni Afghani (Afghan Flatbread), Burani Bonjon (Spicy Braised Eggplant) topped with Seer Moss (Lemon Garlic Yogurt Sauce) and Kabeli Palau (Afghan Rice with Chicken & Carrots). We made Firnee (Cardamom & Rose Water Custard) for dessert.
We both thought that the spinach yogurt dip was delicious on the Noni. The spicey eggplant reminded me of eggplant parmesan without the cheese. The lemon garlic yogurt sauce on top added a lot to the flavor. The chicken was made with Garam Masala spice and had a garnish of carrots, raisins, and slivered almonds on top – very tasty. The most interesting dish was the Firnee because neither one of us had rosewater before. It has a really different and perfumy taste!
While dining we listened to “Paresh-E Jal”. The first song that came up when I searched for traditional Afgan music.
About Afghanistan
According to the information I found, the family unit is strong in Afghanistan and provides its members with identity, security, and social organization. The father is the undisputed head of the household. Large families with many children, especially boys, are preferred. The married sons remain until they are financially independent. Polygamy is permitted by Islamic law, but the man should provide for each wife equally, and he may only take a new wife after receiving permission from his first wives. The elderly are respected and cared for by younger members of the extended family.
Bamyan, Afghanistan has the Buddhas of Bamyan, which were Buddhist statues carved into cliffs in the 6th and 7th centuries CE. Unfortunately, the statues were destroyed by the Taliban. Band-e Amir National Park looks beautiful with intensely blue lakes created by natural dams high in the Hindu Kush. Band-e-Amir is a chain of six lakes in the mountainous desert of central Afghanistan.
What about you?
Please post your comments below. We love hearing other’s experiences and thoughts!
Do you have a favorite meal, recipe, or drink from Afghanistan?
Do you have a favorite place that serves food from Afghanistan?
Are you from Afghanistan or have you ever visited?
Albania is Up Next!
Our next meal will be from Albania. Do you have a favorite dish, meal, or drink from Albania?
Photos
- Steve Evans from Bangalore, India, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
- Shutterstock
- Band-i-Amir National Park Protected Planet
- Shutterstock
- CountryReports
References
Wikipedia, CountryReports, Britannica, Global Table Adventures, Geography Now, The Travel Book and U.S. Department of State
