Afghanistan

Since we will be exploring the countries in alphabetical order, we will begin with Afghanistan (or more formally, The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan).

So for some quick background, Jody, here is a super condense 3-minute video that discusses the history of Afghanistan:
http://content.time.com/time/video/player/0,32068,45950304001_1931954,00.html

This landlocked and mountainous country has a population of roughly 30.55 million people as of 2013.  The capital city is Kabul, and it is over 3,500 years old!  To put that in perspective for you, that was before the production of iron was invented in the Near East (specifically in Armenia in around 1450 BC, which is another country we will discuss in the coming weeks).  Or, said another way, that is roughly 15 TIMES as old as the country of The United States of America.

Afghanistan - USA Size Comparison

Now turning to food.  Common meals in Afghanistan include: wheat, maize, barley, and rice.  This is because these food are the nation's chief crops.  Recipes often also include native fruits and vegetables, nuts, and dairy products.  Unlike in America, where almost all our dairy products come from cow's milk, in Afghanistan, dairy products are also produced from: camels, horses, sheep, and goats.  One of my favorites from Afghan cuisine is Naan.  This is the recipe I will be trying to make this week, and I will post the best recipe below in the comments after experimenting.  Since eating utensils are less common in the country, people often eat using their hands or using pieces of Naan as a spoon.  As for drinks, tea (chai) is very popular, as well as Dugh (yogurt flavored with rose water and salt).

Afghan boy selling Naan

 

 Tea shop in Afghanistan

Samples of traditional Afghan clothing:

Below, we can ask each other questions, post interesting links, recipes, pictures, etc.