Afghan Desserts

Samanu is a sweet dessert made from wheat germ, akin to pudding, commonly prepared in Iran, Afghanistan, and Central Asian countries, especially during Nowruz (Persian New Year). It symbolizes abundance, sweetness, and prosperity and is often shar... READ MORE

Gosh-e fil is an Iranian and Afghan fried sweet pastry that is popularly nicknamed elephant's ear due to its shape. The main ingredients in the dough are flour, sugar, eggs, and milk, which once it's kneaded and rested, is thinly rolled a... READ MORE

Although it is believed to have its origins in Persia, zulbia or jalebi is an international dessert with variations that spread throughout the Middle East, India, and Asia. In its basic form, this sweet dessert is created by combining flour with y... READ MORE

Firnee is a traditional dessert that is believed to have originated in India, where it is known as phirni. Afghan firnee is usually made with cornstarch (instead of ground rice in the Indian version) that is cooked in a mixture of milk an... READ MORE

Sheer pira, meaning sweet milk in Dari, is a traditional dessert made with a mixture of full-cream milk powder, ground cardamom, rosewater, and ground or chopped nuts combined with hot sugar syrup. The creamy mixture is added to a lined o... READ MORE

This Afghan dried fruit and nut soup is traditionally prepared the evening before Naw Roz, the Afghan New Year celebrated on the first day of spring. Haft mewa literally translates to seven fruits and is made with green and red raisins, a... READ MORE

Malida is a dessert popular among Pashtun and Persian people in Afghanistan and Hyderabad, prepared most commonly for weddings or other festive occasions, as well as for religious holidays. Bread made with flour, yeast, oil, baking soda, and water... READ MORE

Sheer yakh, meaning frozen milk or cold milk in Dari, is a traditional dessert that uses the same ingredients as the Indian kulfi ice cream but is prepared differently. The ice cream ingredients such as milk, sugar, and ... READ MORE

Khetayee are traditional cookies hailing from Afghanistan. The cookies are usually made with a combination of flour, powdered milk, baking powder, icing sugar, oil, and ground pistachios. The flour, powdered milk, baking powder, and icing sugar ar... READ MORE

Kolcheh Nowrozi are traditional cookies originating from Afghanistan. They're made only for Nowroz celebrations (Iranian New Year), hence the name. The cookies are usually made with a combination of flour, rice flour, eggs, rosewater, butter, salt... READ MORE