Some of the popular Pashtun dishes, from left to right: 1. Mutton grilled kebab (seekh kabab); 2. Palao and salad; 3. Tandoori chicken; and 4. Mantu (dumplings). The Pashtun cuisine includes a blend of Central Asian, South Asian and Middle Eastern cuisines. Most Pashtun dishes are traditionally non-spicy.
Pashtun cuisine (Pashto: پښتنۍ خواړه) refers to the cuisine of the Pashtun people and is covered under both Afghan and Pakistani cuisines. It is largely based on meat dishes including mutton, beef, chicken, and fish as well as rice and some other vegetables.[1] Accompanying these staples are dairy products (yogurt, whey, cheeses), various nuts, local vegetables, and fresh and dried fruits. Peshawar, Islamabad, Kabul, Bannu, Quetta, Kandahar and Mardan are centers of Pashtun cuisine.
Afghan Pashtun cuisine
Breakfast items include: Kachala boiled turnips served with chukni. Chickpeas, kidney beans and liver often served with naan.
Pakistani Pashtun cuisine
Breakfast items include: Green tea with cardamom (kahwa), boiled eggs and Malai.
Aushak (vegetable and chive-filled dumplings topped with tomato and yogurt sauces)
Bannu Pulao, hailing from the Bannu district of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The dish is made with tender beef, aromatic rice, and a blend of local spices, resulting in a rich and robust taste.
Bolani, also called Piraki in some parts of Afghanistan
Badenjan (cooked eggplant in oil with potatoes and tomatoes)
Bhindi (cooked okra in oil with potatoes and tomatoes)
Chopan Kabab (lamb chops, skewered and grilled on charcoal)
Dodai (a flat bread made in vertical clay ovens called Tanoor in Pashto, Tandoor in Urdu/Hindi)
Shomleh/Shlombeh, also known as "Triwai" in Kabul (a drink made by mixing yogurt with water and shaking it extensively before adding optional dried mint leaves and a small amount of salt)
Fried fish with Kachumar Raita (diced onion, tomatoes, cucumbers in Masteh/Dahi) and naan
Ghatay Rujay, Ghatay Wrejay (literally "fat rice"; a rice dish resembling risotto prepared in Charsadda, Mardan, Pirpiai, and other villages of the region where short grain brown rice is grown)
Penda/Sohbat, is a traditional dish consisting of pieces of posthi (a thin bread) dipped in meat soup, typically served with raita and salad. This dish shares similarities with the Arabic dish Tharid and is commonly consumed in the southern Pakhtunkhwa districts of Bannu, Lakki Marwat, Karak, and Dera Ismail Khan.
Piye Wresha/Pai Halwa, is a sweet dessert made by simmering milk, sugar, ghee, and sometimes nuts, often enjoyed during festivals.
Pashtun dinner sitting on dastarkhan in Helmand Province of Afghanistan, with U.S. troops in the background
Roasted chicken is popular in Pakistan and Afghanistan
Naan bread is widely consumed in Afghanistan and Pakistan
A typical Peshawari dinner course with various dishes
Village elders and US special forces drinking Afghan green tea (kawa) in 2007
Samples of some native Afghan fruits
Traditional breakfast items
Pashtuns in their traditional territory drink green (kahwa) or black tea (chai) with breakfast. Some drink masala chai, especially the Pakistani Pashtuns. Sheer chai, a type of tea that is mixed with milk and sugar, is also consumed. Other breakfast foods can include Afghan naan, paratha, eggs, butterfat, (malai) milk creams, cheeses, etc. Pastries, cakes and cookies are consumed with either tea or warm milk. Those in cities buy and eat whatever breakfast items are sold in grocery stores, which may include porridge, oatmeal, cereal, pancakes, sausages, and fruit juices, among others.
