Customs and Cuisine of Afghanistan - Together Women Rise (2024)

FAQs

What is the role of women in Afghan culture? ›

Women were largely confined to domestic roles and had limited access to education and employment. They were also subject to discriminatory laws and practices, such as the forced marriage of young girls and the denial of inheritance rights.

Since the takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban in August 2021, women have been wholly excluded from public office and the judiciary. Today, Afghanistan's women and girls are required to adhere to a strict dress code and are not permitted to travel more than 75 km without a mahram. They are compelled to stay at home.

Afghan culture is very collectivistic and people generally put their family's interests before their own. This means that family responsibilities tend to hold a greater importance than personal needs. Loyalty to one's family also generally supersedes any obligations to one's tribe or ethnicity.

Afghan cuisine is mainly influenced by that of Persia (Iran), India and Mongolia. From India came chillies, saffron, garam masala (cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, cumin, nutmeg) and pepper.

Women aren't just banned from schools; they're also banned from public baths, parks, and gyms. When they dare to step outside their homes, they can't go anywhere without a male chaperone.

The treasured national dish called Kabuli (or Qabli) Pulao consists of slow-cooked meat in a dome of gently seasoned rice with lentils, raisins, carrots, ground cardamom and nuts. And of course bread (naan) is eaten with just about everything.

Traditionally, dinners are served on a tablecloth on the floor, which is called the dastarkhan. Meals are normally eaten with the right hand. After a meal, tea with dessert is served.

Cutlery is not usually used – you use your hands to scoop up the food (or a naan) and you would only use your right hand. A guest will always be offered the place of honour at the head of the table.

Nikah usually takes place on the wedding day. It is a religious ceremony where the two families agree on the marriage contract. It takes place during the day, and the bride is supposed to be in green clothes. It is a private ceremony where only the couple's immediate family and the mullah, Islamic clergy, get involved.

Beyond blocking basic access to food at risk, even the chance to walk in a park, play a sport, or enjoy nature is being stripped away from Afghanistan's women and girls. Women who protest these violations face terrible consequences including enforced disappearance, arbitrary detention, and torture.

What is the food problem in Afghanistan? ›

Job losses, lack of cash and soaring prices are creating a new class of hungry people. A total 12.4 million Afghans have acute food insecurity. The country is on the brink of economic collapse, with the local currency at an all-time low and food prices on the rise.

From infancy, girls and women are under the authority of their fathers or husbands. Their freedom of movement is restricted since they are children and their choice of husbands is also restricted. Women and girls are deprived of education and denied economic liberty.

This photograph tells a powerful human story. It was taken in 1984 during the Soviet-Afghan War, a time of immense suffering and hardship for the Afghan people. This girl, Sharbat Gula, became a symbol of that struggle, a testament to the strength of the Afghan people in the face of adversity.

Some Afghan women have made the personal choice to wear a burqa in a public setting. But it wasn't until fundamentalist mujahedeen groups took control of the country in 1992 that many women were forced to wear a burqa to disguise their identity and avoid being harassed by mujahedeen fighters and criminals.

Breaking taboos

It is considered a taboo. Young girls associate it with something negative, shameful, or even dirty. Many parents refuse to discuss menstruation with their daughters. Girls, on the other hand, remain quiet about the initiation of their menstrual cycle…