Afghanistan Culture, Food, and Holidays

Blog post written by Rania Abdullah, IUPUI Dietetic Intern

On September 3rd, 2021, Afghan refugees began arriving at Camp Atterbury, which is just south of Indianapolis. The evacuees are expected to arrive in waves, and Indiana has the potential to host 5,000 Afghans.

Gleaners Food Bank is seeking to understand the Afghan food and culture in order to welcome these new neighbors and better meet their needs. This blog post will take you on a tour of some of the customs, values, and foods that are important to the people of Afghanistan.  
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Afghanistan country outline and flag inlay. Image from commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flag_map_of_Afghanistan.svg

​Language, Art, and Culture

​There are more than 48 languages spoken in Afghanistan, but the most common are Dari (Farsi), and Pashto. Afghans live in tribes, divided into many subcultures, that share the same food, clothes, art, and lifestyle. Afghans are famous for handwoven rugs and ancient oil paintings found in caves.  Musical instruments played in Afghanistan include harmonium, santur, tabla (small drums), sitar, and zurna.  Afghanistan has many important architectural sites such as Herat, Mazar-l-Sharif, and Ghazni.  

Great Mosque of Herat ("Friday Mosque").
Image from www.pinterest.com.

Musicians playing sitar. Image from foreignpolicy.com

Foods and Dietary Practices

​Mutton (lamb) is the most popular meat eaten in Afghanistan. Chicken is also common, and it is usually served with long grain rice, and lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. Favorite produce items include eggplant, spinach, potato, carrot, peas, tomato, cucumber, lettuce, dates, and melons. Fresh mint and coriander are also very common.

Popular Afghan dishes include:

• Mastawa - a traditional winter dish made with rice, chickpeas, and sun-dried salted mutton (called Lahndi), mixed with onions, garlic, turmeric, coriander, and mint.
• Aushak - leek and scallion dumplings sometimes served with tomato sauce and dried mint.
  
• Kabuli Palaw - a national dish made from meat and stock topped with fried raisins, pistachios, and slivered carrots​
• Afghan Kebab - made from lamb meat, served with naan instead of rice​​​ 

Aushak. Image from pickuplimes.com.

Kabuli palaw. Image from igotitfrommymaman.com

Festivals and Holidays

​Islam is the major religion in Afghanistan. Islamic holidays are celebrated according to the lunar calendar:

• Ramadan - a holy fasting month for Muslims. Began on April 13th in 2021, expected start date for 2022 is April 2nd. 
• Eid al-Fitr – “breaking the fast” celebration after Ramadan. Afghans celebrate it by wearing new clothes, going to prayer, visiting family and friends, and giving gifts or money to kids (Eidi).  Celebrated on May 13th in 2021. Every year the date moves back 11 days as it follows the lunar calendar - the date for 2022 will be May 2nd. Bolani is a dish served in Ramadan and eid al-Fitr. It is a thin crusted bread with a vegetable filling with foods like lentils, pumpkin, or potatoes. It can be served with yoghurt.​​​

Ramadan is a very important month for Muslims. Image from ucf.edu.

• Eid al-Adha - Festival of Sacrifice celebrated on the 10th day of the 12th month of the Islamic calendar. It was celebrated on July 18th in 2021 (expected to be July 7th for 2022). Afghans usually eat lamb or beef meat for this festival. 
• Nau-Roz (new year’s celebration following the Islamic calendar) - March 21st. Special dishes served on Nau-Roz eve include sabzi challow (a dish made from rice and spinach) and haft mewa (a sweet dish like fruit salad made from dried fruits with nuts).
• Ashura Day - 14th of month Muharram in the Islamic calendar - August 8th, 2022. Special dishes served in Ashura include naleem (usually includes meat, wheat or barley, and sometimes lentils) and ​narenj palaw (a rice dish made with chicken, saffron, orange peel, pistachios, and almonds).

Haft mewa. Image from www.rhubarbarians.com.

Table set for Nau-Roz. Image from afghanistan-un.org

Sources:

• ​https://www.re-thinkingthefuture.com/architectural-styles/a3581-10-structures-that-represent-the-historical-architecture-of-afghanistan/
• https://afghanmagazine.com/post/187983782189/at-the-crossroads-of-asia-the-transnationality 
• https://www.tasteatlas.com/most-popular-food-in-afghanistan 
• https://trip101.com/article/traditional-food-in-afghanistan​ 
• https://theculturetrip.com/europe/united-kingdom/articles/the-10-most-delicious-eid-al-fitr-foods-and-dishes-from-around-the-world/ 
• https://www.afghan-web.com/culture/holidays/ 
• https://worldfood.guide/list/food_or_dishes_eaten_during_ashura/ 
• https://www.officeholidays.com/holidays/afghanistan/eid-al-adha 

• https://www.afghan-web.com/culture/holidays/ 
• https://excelnotes.com/holidays-afghanistan-2022/