Afghanistan has had an interesting history and cuisine. Is' Silk Road influences are still tasted today in most Asian dishes. Yet its' their own recipes and restaurants that provide comfort to displaced Afghanis looking for a remnant of home in the US.
Regular contributor Brett Anderson wrote about this and the wealth of Afghani restaurants in the DC area in yesterday's New York Times Food section. There has always been struggles in this crux of the Silk Road from Alexander The Great's reign over it to the recent Taliban takeover. That means diasporas. Many have relocated to Maryland, Washington DC and Virginia in modern times. The region is home to one of the largest populations of resettled Afghanis in the US. Many turned to cooking to survive and created thriving businesses for themselves and their children. They are now taking care of the new wave of fellow countrymen who left the country after the Taliban's August takeover. One by one the restaurants took it upon themselves to feed them along with raising money and finding jobs for them. Chef and restauranteur Hamidullah Noori drew strength from these actions. These people have overcome their fears and left one of the worst regimes in recent history.
Afghanistan was on the Silk Road route and traders bought its' variety of spices. Its abundance was in the warm spices of cumin, cardamon, cinnamon and turmeric as recorded in the great cookbook Parwana. It was written by Durkhanai Ayubi whose family runs a restaurant in Adelaide Australia where they relocated in the late eighties. Cooking was a way for her mother, Farida to stay connected to her heritage. The one s in the DC area feel the same way. They offer such dishes as sabzi, a spinach and dill stew that also has onions and garlic in it and aushak - dumplings redolent with leeks and scallions. There is also Kabuli pulaw a spiced lamb pilaf made with basmati rice and such Silk Road spices as saffron, cumin , cardamon and turmeric. Other restaurants like The Hellmand in Baltimore, one of the older afrghani eateries serves diners dopiazza - a lamb curry The owner, Qayum Karzi is brother of the former president Hamid Karrzi, he started off as a waiter in the 1970's and took it one step further by opening up a place with his American wife Pam.
Afghani food is a way of giving comfort and showing hope to recently arrived refugees. It gives them promise that they too can create a life in America while keeping their heritage. The ancient recipes connect them.
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