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Kabuli pulao

Kabuli pulao
Kabuli pulao
Alternative namesKabuli pulaw, Qabili palaw, Qabeli palao, Qabili Uzbaki, roz Bukhari, Bukhari rice
TypeRice
CourseLunch, dinner
Place of originAfghanistan, Uzbekistan
Region or stateCentral Asia
Associated cuisineAfghan cuisine, Uzbek cuisine
Serving temperatureHot
Main ingredientsSteamed rice, raisins, carrots, nuts and mutton, lamb or veal

Kabuli pulao or pulaw is a variety of pilaf made in Afghanistan and Uzbekistan. It is known in Afghanistan as Qābilī palaw (Dari: قابلی پلو, pronounced [/qɑːbɪliː paˈlaw/]), and in Uzbekistan as Osh palov, with neither country referring to it by the name of a city. While in English, it tends to be known by the name Kabuli (see below) and in Saudi Arabia, by the name Bukhari rice or ruzz Bukhārī (Arabic: رز بخاري), after the city of Bukhara.

The core ingredients are steamed rice mixed with caramelized carrots and raisins as well as marinated meat. Kabuli pulao is commonly garnished with almonds and pistachios. Saffron may be added to either the rice, the sauce or the garnishes.[1][2] Varieties of Kabuli pulao have spread from Afghanistan to different parts of Western and Central Asia and Pakistan.[3]

Origin

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Although referred to in English as "Kabuli" (see § Etymology), the dish did not originate in Kabul. More likely, the dish originated at the border of Northern Afghanistan with Uzbekistan.[4] Additionally, longstanding communities of northern Afghans and Central Asian émigrés in Saudi Arabia have collectively referred to themselves as "Bukhari's"[5] (despite not all being from Bukhara), and have marketed this dish in the region as "Bukhari rice".[5][6]

A variation of Kabuli pulao made by Uzbeks within Afghanistan is also referred to as "Uzbaki palaw". The Uzbaki version differs from traditional Afghan palaw preparation in that it doesn't steam the rice (sof method), but instead boils the rice until all liquid has been absorbed (dampokht method).[7] Palaw dishes form a specific and longstanding tradition of rice preparation in the region, likely dating back as far as Bactrian times.[8]

Etymology

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"Kabuli" may be a misspelling of "Qabili", which comes from Persian قابل. The name "Qabili" appears to have been applied early on to a complex pilaf dish in Persian-language contexts, with the first written Qabili pilaf recipes appearing during the Safavid period in Ali Bavarchi's 1521 manuscript "The Manual" (Kār-nāma). This work currently constitutes the oldest cookbook in Persian.[9]

"Pulao" arises from a common transcription of "pilaaf" across various languages.[10] In Persian, پلو is often transcribed as "palao", "palaw", "palau", etc to reflect the Classical diphthong /aw/, which is preserved in Dari,[11] and is otherwise often transcribed "polow" or "polo" to reflect Iranian dialects, which have largely lost the dipthong.

Serving

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Qabeli palaw is considered a festive and important dish due to the emphasis on quality of the ingredients, as well as being a widely known dish of Afghan cuisine. The dish may be served as a main course, accompanied by traditional side dishes or prepared as part of a banquet.[12]

References

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  1. ^ Coussidis, Harris (29 April 2019). "Kabuli Pulao: The national dish of Afghanistan". FMT. FMT Media. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
  2. ^ Roustaei, Omid (8 September 2021). "Afghan rice and carrot pilaf with lamb". The Caspian Chef. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
  3. ^ Marsden, Magnus (April 2021). "Commerce, Cuisine and Cultural Exchange in Afghanistan, West Asia and Beyond" (PDF). Afghanistan. 4 (1). Edinburgh University Press: 66. doi:10.3366/afg.2021.0067. S2CID 234975829.
  4. ^ Marsden, Magnus (April 2021). "Commerce, Cuisine and Cultural Exchange in Afghanistan, West Asia and Beyond" (PDF). Afghanistan. 4 (1). Edinburgh University Press: 6 5. doi:10.3366/afg.2021.0067. S2CID 234975829.
  5. ^ a b Marsden, Magnus (April 2021). "Commerce, Cuisine and Cultural Exchange in Afghanistan, West Asia and Beyond". Afghanistan. 4 (1). Edinburgh University Press: 66. doi:10.3366/afg.2021.0067. S2CID 234975829. Retrieved 28 May 2023. If Saudi publics as well as those visiting the country for trade, pilgrimage and labour, consumed heaps of Bukhari rice in Afghan-run eateries, diners from Afghanistan would take up their positions in more modest cafes serving authentic northern Afghan dishes accordingly: Qabili palaw Uzbeki (Uzbek-style rice with meat), chaynaki (meet cooked with chickpeas in a teapot), seekh kebab (meat grilled on skewers), and kaala pacha (stewed cows feet with black pepper). Such eateries are mostly located in parts of Saudi cities that are and have been for decades home to sizeable and long-standing communities of Central Asian émigrés and northern Afghans, collectively referred to as the 'Bukharis.'
  6. ^ Salah, Maha (27 March 2020). "Bukhari Rice and Chicken". Middle East Monitor. Ardi Associates Ltd. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
  7. ^ Saberi, Helen (2000). Afghan Food & Cookery (7 ed.). New York: Hippocrene Books, Inc. p. 134. This is Qabili pilau as prepared by the Uzbeks using the dampokht method of cooking rice. It is, I think, a quicker and simpler way than the sof method
  8. ^ Nabhan, Gary Paul (2014). Cumin, Camels, and Caravans: A Spice Odyssey. University of California Press. ISBN 9780520267206.
  9. ^ "COOKBOOKS". Encyclopædia Iranica . Retrieved 25 March 2025. The older one is the Kār-nāma dar bāb-e ṭabbāḵī wa ṣaṇʿat-e ān "Manual on cooking and its craft," written in 927/1521 by Ḥājī Moḥammad-ʿAlī Bāvaṛčī Baḡdādī for an aristocratic patron at the end of the reign of Shah Esmāʿīl I Ṣafawī (907-30/1501-24).
  10. ^ Vishal, Anoothi. "What is The Difference Between Pulao (Pilaf) and Biryani?". NDTV Food. NDTV Convergence. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  11. ^ Miller, Corey (2012). "VARIATION IN PERSIAN VOWEL SYSTEMS" (PDF). Orientalia Suecana. 59 (1): 165. The diphthongs aj and aw are preserved in Dari, e.g. 'find' /pajdā/, 'rice' /palaw/
  12. ^ Ayubi, Durkhanai (25 June 2015). "Parwana Afghan Kitchen's Kabuli palaw". Gourmet Traveller. ARE MEDIA PTY LIMITED. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
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