A group of Afghan students met with a Mexico-based international educator and cuisine expert, Ms. Maryam Jillani, who is working as a food writer at the digital food magazine Taste, at the Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) on Tuesday. She discussed the various Afghan cuisines that are available in Pakistan, particularly in Islamabad and Peshawar, and asked the Afghan participants, mostly enrolled in higher education programs in universities in Islamabad, to share their experience of cooking and dining out at Afghan restaurants in the country. The participants belonged to different provinces of Afghanistan, namely, Baghlan, Logar and Kabul, and also diverse ethnic groups; mainly Hazara, Tajik, Uzbek and Pashtun. They shared their insights on their local Afghan foods as well as how Afghan businessmen over time set up food businesses in Pakistan following the waves of Afghan refugees in the 1980s. They also discussed how Afghan cuisine has blended with Pakistani cuisine in various forms in Pak-Afghan households. Among Afghan dishes, Kabuli Pulao and Tikka Kebab were particularly cited as famous Afghan specialties that are widely popular in Pakistan.
© Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) and Afghan Studies Center (ASC), Islamabad.
