Whenentertainingalfresco,her
signaturedishis a caramelisedonion
quicheservedwitha greensalad,and
cruditéswitha simpledipshelearnedhow
tomakefromhermother.“Youtakea can
oftuna,mixit witha bitofcreamcheese,
adda sprinkleofcurrypowderandlotsof
lemonjuice,andit becomesa verybeautiful
rillette.It’shersecretweaponforapéritif.”
Familytraditionalsoplaysa bigpartin
howDurkhanaiAyubi,authorofParwana:
RecipesandStoriesfromanAfghan
Kitchen, approachesoutdoordining.
Herparentshavefondmemoriesofmela
- orpicnics– whichwereoftenheldinairy
courtyardsorgardenswhentheylivedin
Afghanistan.InAfghanculture,outdoor
gatheringsarefavouredfora very simple
reason:there’smorespace.
“It’sa reallyelementalpartofhowwe
eat,”Ayubiexplains.“Forus,Afghanfood
andcultureis aboutgatheringwithfamily
andfriends– thatcultureofhospitality
andinvitingpeoplein.Beingoutsideis
a hugepartofthatbecause you can seat
lotsofpeople.”
Breakfastis a favouritemealtohave
outdoors,oftensetupona largeAfghan
rugcrowdedwithdishesandcopious
amountsoftea.“Wemakethingslikebolani,
whicharestuffedflatbreads,becauseyou
canusea barbecueoranopengasflameto
cookthemonskillets,ortokhmebanjanromi
[Afghan-stylebreakfasteggs].”
Thesimpleactofmovinga mealfrom
indoorstooutdoorscanofferanentirely
differentdiningexperience.“Anoutdoor
settingis somuchmoreconduciveto
helpingpeoplefeelrelaxed,”shesays.“It’s
a reallylovelythingbecauseit shiftsthe
focusfrombeingconfinedtoa certainseat
tobeingmuchmorefluidandcongenial.”
Ultimately,diningalfrescooffersan
opportunitytocometogether– which,
in thetimeofZoom,hastakenonnew
significance.“Whatyoutakeawayfrom
anygatheringis notespeciallythefood
orthedecorations– it’stheconversation
andthetimeyouspentwithyourfriends,”
saysPiochBalzac.“I’vehaddinnerparties
wherethefoodwasnotedibleand
everythingwentwrong,butwestilllaugh
about it. Just being together is a gift.”●
“Anoutdoorsettingisso muchmore
conducivetohelping peoplefeelrelaxed. It’s
a lovely thing because it shifts the focus...”GOURMET TRAVELLER 65