Afghan cuisine

Accompanying these are common vegetables and dairy products, such as milk, yogurt, whey,[3] and fresh and dried fruits such as apples, apricots, grapes, bananas, oranges, plums, pomegranates, sweet melons, and raisins.

[7] The cuisine of Afghanistan is halal and has elements from various places: for example, garam masala from India, coriander and mint from Iran, dumplings and noodles from Uzbekistan and Xinjiang, China, and baklava from Turkey.

[9] Challow, or white rice cooked with mild spices,[11] is served mainly with qormas (korma: stews or casseroles).

Palaw is cooked similarly to challow, but a combination of meat, stock, qorma, and herbs are also mixed in before baking, resulting in the elaborate colors, flavors, and aromas from which the rice got its name.

Examples of palaw include: Afghan bread is flat and cooked in a tanoor or tandoor (a vertical ground clay oven).

[citation needed] Qormah (also spelled "korma" or "qorma") is an onion- and tomato-based stew or casserole usually served with challow rice.

There are hundreds of different types of qormahs including: Afghan kabob is most often found in restaurants and at outdoor street vendor stalls.

The original recipe of chapli kabob dictates a half-meat, half-flour mixture which renders it lighter in taste and less expensive.

The residual buttermilk remaining after churning butter is soured further (by keeping it at room temperature for a few days), treated with salt, and then eventually boiled.

The precipitated casein is filtered through cheesecloth, pressed in order to remove liquid, and then shaped into balls; the product is thus a hard and very sour cottage cheese.

Though it can be eaten raw as a savory snack, it is typically served with cooked Afghan dishes such as aushak, mantu, and kichri qoroot.

Doogh (also known by some Afghans as shomleh or shlombeh) is a cold drink made by mixing water with yogurt and then adding fresh or dried mint.

[18] A major dish in Pashtun culture are Rosh (cooked lamb and mutton with no spices)[15] and Sohbat, found at traditional gatherings and events.

The name dampukht stands for steamed meat, and Khaddi kebab is the Afghan shashlik, which is grilled on an open fire, on a spit.