Certain level of communities in Afghanistan eat outside. The majority of the estimated population of more than 35 million are engaged in agricultural work and rarely seen eating street food.
The capital Kabul and many other rural communities lack this category of people, which allows the street food to grow more and attract more people in the country. Labours, students, government employees, vendors, and shopkeepers are the main consumers of street food in Kabul.
Rabia Amani in her fifties is one of the rare women who sells Bolani, a stuffed flat-bread mostly with potatoes, leeks, and lentils- a very common and popular street food in the country. She started her little business five years ago in the suburbs of a residential area nearby the interior ministry compound and used to sell around 110 Bolani per day, which has since the Taliban took power, decreased by half. “Sales are not good. Out of fear, I sell to male customers here because they [Taliban] say that I should not sell Bolani to men, instead should I only sell to women. Women don’t refer that much to buy Bolani. There is no money and people do not receive salaries.” says Amani.
This tiny restaurant with a history of 41 years of selling Samosas and Manti in this crowded area of the Kabul city now has been literally surviving. Ali, who like many Afghans go by one name, inherits this restaurant from his father complains about his business, says “Our sales have decreased from 100% to 30%. We do not have sales. Now it is noon [lunch time], there is no one. People don’t have jobs and cannot afford to pay 100 Afn. [$1.12] to eat. They ask but they don’t buy and we understand them.”
Originating from cousins of Middle East, Kebab has a long history in Afghanistan. Kebab has been the favourite for the majority in Afghanistan, especially middle class families who are regulars of the restaurants, but it seems a range of one third of these families can’t afford their favourite dish now. Small business owners in the market, employees, and some fans are able to stay loyal to their favourite food.
Amir Jan owns this restaurant says “Our previous sales were between 1-2 thousand portions a day, but now it is around 300-400. It’s because of the weak economy, we had to reduce the number of our waiters.”
According to Kabul Restaurants Association, there are 2300 registered and around 15 hundred unregistered restaurants actively working, as the number of street food vendors remain undetermined. The head of the association says tens of restaurants in picnic areas, especially in the outskirts of the city have been banned due to restrictions on families.
In past administrations, in addition to families, betrothed, men, and women came to these restaurants to eat, party and smoke hookah – these restaurants may not be heard from again till an undetermined period of time.