Inside Afghanistan's MEAT Paradise!! (Unreal Afghan Food)

Could sit here all day, lounge and eat lamb. We're sitting by the river, surrounded by lush green trees, fresh fruit, and lamb so tasty you can't resist it. This is a feeling that never gets old. You wouldn't believe we're just a 45 minute drive from the busy streets of Kabul in Afghanistan. Today we're taking a day trip to the base of the Hindu Kush Mountains, a place called Pagman Valley, where locals come in search of delicious food. Never been so up close and personal with a lamb butt. And relaxation. This is a representation of what Afghanistan is and what it has to offer. But first we're starting in Kabul Old City for one of the world's greatest breakfasts. We're eating Kala Pacha. I must say it's the king of breakfast here in Afghanistan. Yes, yes. Okay, so Kala Pacha actually translates, it means head and feet, or head and trotters. And so it's a combination that is extremely well known around this entire region of the world, actually, called in many different things. But it's a staple. It is a dish of all the different odds and ends. So it's not just feet and head, but there's skin, there's tongue, there's brains. There's also cow skin, which is there as well. And so he individually chops them up using this kind of like knife trowel system where he slices everything up into bite-sized pieces. Then he puts them all into individual bowls. But another dish that we got is the bread. It looks like it's been hand shredded, some of the bread. And then he hydrates it with that bone broth. And then he adds on some garlic. He adds on some of the animal oil. All the animal parts are boiled in a broth overnight for over 12 hours on a very low heat. You can see that everything is just tenderized to perfection and all the different textures of the different animal parts. But it smells amazing. This is as meaty as it gets. Bilal, I think we literally got one of every animal part that they have. That's right. And then of course you have to have all the accompaniments with bread. And when he brought this bread to our table, it's fresh right out of the oven. You can feel the heat, the warmth of it still. You can feel how fluffy it is to be able to scoop up all those juices. Bilal, anything you wanna start with? What's the procedure? I think we should go for the shorwa. Okay. So this is broth from the feet and the head poured over pieces of bread. Torn, like hand-torn bread, yeah? There's some brain and then we've got some cow cheek meat. Oh, man. And then there's some tongue right there. Okay, let's go. All right. You go with bread into bread. Bread into bread. Maybe grab a piece of meat. Okay. Go for that cheek meat first. Oh, oh, you feel it's so hot down there? Oh, when you squeeze it, you can feel the juices coming up just soaked bread. It's a sponge. That bread is so fluffy. Then when it absorbs all that broth, it just squeezes out. Imagine like taking a sponge of broth and just squeezing it out into your mouth. And that's what we just experienced. I think what you can also really taste is the animal fat that he sprinkles on top, the yellow color, that's like the intense, meaty flavor. Okay, should we go for a bit of seasoning? Sure. So it's dried coriander, black pepper, and dried grape seeds. What a combination. That's the spice mixture. That's right. So put some of this onto the, I guess let's do it on the, yeah. I'll go a little heavier on this side. Same with chili. More on this side. There we go. Oh my God. All right, Vilo, let's try it again now. All right, let's do it. With the seasoning. Yes, sir. I'm gonna go for a bit of brain on this bite. Oh, all the brains. You can feel the creaminess. Oh, look at the wobbliness of the brain. It could be a dessert, it's so creamy. It's like animal kaymak, just like liquefying brains in your mouth. Oh, chase it with an onion. Make it even better. To cut the richness. Maybe a green chili as well. Wow. Look at the size of this green chili. Excellent. Refreshes the palate. Oh yeah, that has a bit of heat to it as well. One of my favorite things. It represents the history of Afghanistan, the simplicity, the utilization of every part of the animal. And this is food that's enjoyed by everybody. Poor, rich, young, old, it brings people together. I think I got some of the cheek on this bite. No chewing is required. Okay, Vilo, we have a bunch more. This one is like the one bowl go, but these are all the different separate parts with the broth and the garlic in here as well. What looks interesting, maybe that cow head? Yeah, that looks pretty good. Do a bit of seasoning? Sure. A little bit? Look at that top layer. It's the beef fat or the animal fat that is so thick on top. That looks rich. Look at this piece. Oh, it just completely saturates your piece of bread. You can actually feel it dissolving in your fingers before you even take it to your mouth. Oh, wow. Okay, that is one of the richest single bites you'll ever eat. It literally is liquid head. Oil just gushes out of that skin and that head meat. This one is the head, the cow head meat, right? That's right. The wobbliness. It like jiggles around and then just liquefies. And also, the bread is incredible. It's a specific type of bread that's kind of thicker than a lot of breads we've had that acts as, again, a sponge to absorb whatever you dip it into. It's phenomenal. Okay, I'm gonna, I don't know what this one is. This is sheep head. Oh, okay. Oh, it's just falling apart. It's actually turning to liquid. Oh, the fatty gelatinous bits. We can also add some lime to that. Oh, that's a good idea. Okay. Thanks, Bilal. Okay, so we went from cow head to sheep head. It doesn't require chewing, yeah. That just completely melts. And you know, the thing is so far is that it also takes skill to be able to cook these parts of the animal. That's right. And if you don't know how to cook it, it can have like a strong gamey taste or it can have a off taste. It can't have the right texture or something, but you know that they're experts. They know what they're doing here. The flavors are phenomenal. Also, really clean tasting. What up next? I would go to the broth. Just sip off the broth. Here you go, Bilal. There's so many things on the table. Thank you. And this, you just drink it? Just straight. It has a spice to it as well. Like the coriander seed or the? Black pepper, coriander seed. It's so good. Wow, that is so soothing. That is so good. Yeah, that is so good. You can feel the black pepper going down your throat a little bit. And I think this feels like all the fat has been skimmed out, so you're just tasting the clean broth to kind of wash down the richer dishes. Next up for the, oh yeah, actually the feet, huh? We haven't had the feet yet. Let's go with the lamb feet. Yeah, it's really good with the lime. Yeah, for sure. Bit of seasoning. Oh, oh, that's wobbly. Oh, this is bone-in feet. Okay, cool. Foot bones. Yeah, the tendon-y bits. I love that move where he adds in the garlic as well to your bowl and then adds in that fat and that broth. Again, extremely wobbly and jiggly in your mouth. And as you can actually feel like we're getting our year's supply of collagen with this meal. We're gonna have the tightest skin after this meal. That's for sure. Taste bites with onion, kind of contrast the richness. Okay, I think we better move on to the next one. The cow tongue. Cow tongue. Yeah, man, the lime is a must. Okay, cool. Check out the cow tongue. Not even kidding, everything will melt in your mouth. And you can taste the difference from each different animal and body part. Should we go brain next? Here, we can move it here. Okay, let's go into the brain. All right. Oh, that's a big bite. Gonna soak it in that broth and that fat. Here we go. A mega brain bite. Oh, that is so rich and so creamy. Oh, that is good too. Wow. Onions. Green chili. Bilal, what's your favorite? Heart. That's a very hard one. It is, I know. Very hard one, yeah. I would say the shorwa because there's a little bit of everything in there. Yeah, that's a combination of everything. But as a single part, that cow head was insane. What about yourself? Man, I don't know. Actually, maybe the sheep head. The sheep head is... I love the different textures. Gelatinous, slightly chewy. Yeah, you can't go wrong here. Here's the owner. Okay. Amazing, that was an incredible experience. Second generation. That calapacho was absolutely incredible. Again, a heritage place that's been open for 40, 50 years. Yeah, if you want some extremely good head and feet, that's the spot. From here, we have a lot more food to eat, so we're on our way to the next spot. From here, we're on our way to a completely different environment. So close, yet so different. So we had a little bit of a flat tire situation in Kabul. We're trying to find somebody who can fix it. Well, check out the road, actually. There's a trough in the middle of the road. Yeah, so from here, we're driving outside of Kabul, and we're going to a place called Pagman Valley, which is gonna be about an hour drive, where we're gonna see some of the amazing scenery and also definitely eat probably some lamb. We should be on our way very soon. I think they could pretty much fix anything. Okay, so on the way up to Pagman, we're stopping at a place for something called a samsa, which is made all over Central Asia. It's a pocket of dough filled with meat and onions. So this doll, Bilal, is bringing us to this doll. What's up, guys? Do you like samsa? Hello, very good. Do you like samsa? Okay, this is the spot right here. Oh, okay, and here's the samsa master. He looks like an incredible baker. Samsa? Samsa, samsa. Okay, oh, here comes out the dough. Oh, here's the mixture. Combination of beef, onion. Lots of black pepper. Nice. Oh, nice. So then they get an egg wash. Oh, and topped with sesame seeds. White and black sesame seeds. Okay, that's going into the oven. This is his whole family? The future bakers. Oh, the whole family is here. Beautiful family. Four boys. Yeah, that's all of his. Okay? Okay, okay, okay. The samsa are in the oven. They're gonna bake for about 15 minutes, and that meat, the mixture of the minced beef plus the onions is gonna bake inside, and then he gave it also an egg coating, an egg brush, so that's gonna probably make it nice and golden as well with some sesame seeds on top. Man, we got a fresh batch right out of the oven. He hand makes them. There he is over there. Check him out over there. He's the man of the match for this samsa, but yeah, he bakes it with such pride. He uses this broiler oven, cranks up the fire, and then continually flips them over back and forth, ensuring that both sides are perfectly golden. This is the top with that egg wash, so it's a bit shinier, but look at the bottom. The bottom is also perfectly crispy, golden, sesame seeds below. Let's go for a samsa, man. Let's go for it. Break it open? Break it open. Oh, with the meat. Oh, dude, as soon as you opened that up, the aroma came out of it. The aroma, yeah. The onions. Okay, let's try it out first, and then there's also a sauce to go with it. I know when bilal really likes, I'm getting the hang of when you really like something, you just quietly smile, and just, that's the bilal love of food right there. It's a gentle, yes. Oh, that's great, though. Oh, what's that spice in there? Like the coriander seed? Cumin, black pepper, and yes, coriander. Coriander seed. Man, the sweetness of the onions, the juiciness of the beef, and then, that's actually incredible how crispy it is without any oil. Right. It's only the egg wash, right? Egg wash, yep, that's right. And then the high heat of that oven. Man, that's good. So juicy, some of that meat mixture almost spilled out of my mouth, but it even has the, you taste like the flaky layers of that dough as well. And that sauce is also for it? Mm-hmm. We just like scoop it on? Mm-hmm. Put some in there, and it should be good to go. Okay, cool. There's a little tomato acidity to it as well. Incredible. Baked fresh, hot, on the spot. This is something that you'll eat all over Central Asia as well. That's right. Samsaz, and it's one of the great baked products, savory, cooked fresh. Awesome. As we're sitting here eating, just do a full 360. There's a bunch of people that have come to check it out, what we're doing. Great stop on our way to Pagman. And there's the man who baked it. Thank you. Yes, so good. So good. Okay, so it's a bit of a bumpy ride. We're pulling into Pagman Valley. But, yes, you would not believe this exists like 45 minutes outside of Kabul. Wow, so fresh, so green. Oh, and fresh cherries too. Tons of fresh fruit along the way as well. Cherries, peaches. Welcome to Pagman Valley. This place is beautiful. It's unbelievable. This exists just 45 minutes outside of Kabul, up the mountain, into the valley. It's green, it's lush. There's fruit trees. There's vendors selling fruit. There's all this water that's flowing down the mountain, the river. And then, of course, there's lots of restaurants serving lamb with seeding over the river as well. We're gonna stop at this place and we're gonna order some lamb, some meat, have another meal in the mountains of Kabul. Well, just outside of Kabul. This place is, yeah, it's really incredibly beautiful. Chilies, ginger, and garlic. And they cook it over like, kind of like a slow process. This is like one of their popular dishes? Yes, it is. What's it called? It's called rosh. Rosh, and what exactly is it? So it's a very simple process of cooking meat using steam. But since we're in a hurry today, they're gonna use a pressure cooker. Perfect. All right, cool. He's the butcher here. And this is the cabinet of meat. Look at that. Talk about an awesome cabinet of meat. Oh, it smells great in here. Smells like fresh meat, very fresh meat. And he's getting started. Okay. Oh, that's our leg. Oh, so we're getting the leg. He grabbed some fat as well. Oh, that's one of the, that's the butt fat. That's what this is right here. Never been so up close and personal with a lamb butt. John's over there. Oh, he hacks through the bone like butter. He's chopping everything into pretty big size chunks. And then also that lamb fat as well. It's gonna give so much flavor to the dish we're ordering. We're moving now from the butcher to the kitchen where we're gonna see everything prepared. And they have a few different things. We're gonna get the lamb like braised with potatoes or steamed. Then we're gonna get chicken. And then we might also get some quail, which they have quail here. So in order to make our dish, actually it seems like it's quite a simple dish actually process, but he actually strategizes, layers it into the pot, which is actually a pressure cooker. He layers in the potatoes, then actually some whole heads of garlic, which is a nice touch. He layers in the meat and some green chilies, layers it all in. And that's gonna pressure cook until it's fall apart, tender probably. And then we'll see what happens next. So here with all the chefs in the kitchen. Oh, they're so friendly. All the chefs. What does that mean? Japan or China? Oh, okay, okay. Japan or China? Oh, actually half Chinese. Hey, good. Half Chinese, half Chinese. Yeah, yeah. Oh, good call. Afghanistan. Thank you. Nice to meet you. Okay, and this is the quail going onto the skewers. Quail and chicken is on the grill now. That smells amazing. Oh, he's giving it a brush down. Steel wire. Yes, yes. Whoa. All the lamb steam. That sound. Oh, it's boiling. Oh, he's scooping it out. Oh, the potatoes. The lamb. Oops. One fell off. Oh, the juice. That is awesome. Crew of very capable chefs and very awesome chefs. Let's eat. Man, what a spot. Dude, Bilal, amazing place. Sorry, man, sorry. We've been eating a lot, man. Our minds are not fully straight. No worries. Bilal, Bilal, yes. Ever since we drove up here in Tupac Mountain Valley, it's just like this overwhelming relaxation has just overcome me. Like you just wanna, and even the pads here are comfortable and nice and you just wanna relax, feel like an emperor here. Drinking tea, weather is cool. That sound of the rushing water, this place is gorgeous. Welcome. Thank you. Like when you, and I mean, for myself, I'm guessing for you watching as well, when you think about Afghanistan, this is probably not what you've ever seen on media or what you think about, but I think this is a representation of what Afghanistan is and what it has to offer. Absolutely. Peace, beautiful nature, delicious food. And on that, Bilal, let's dive right in. Well, what have you ordered us, man? So we've got some rosh, which is essentially a young lamb simply cooked with some potatoes, some chilies and some garlic. And then we've got some grilled quail here and then we've got a grilled chicken. That's awesome. I think we should talk with the chicken before it dries out too much. Okay, let's start with bread. All right. And believe it or not, I think this is the first time I've seen chicken so far. We've had chicken, although I've seen chicken, but I think this will be our first time to try chicken. Go right in. That skin, holy crispy. Grab a piece moist on the inside. Absolutely. Moist and juicy. It definitely has some kind of a marinade on it, but it's mostly that smokiness from the grill. They slow roasted over the charcoal, ensuring that the skin gets nice and crispy. Wash that down with some tea. Oh yeah. Chicken is fantastic. Maybe I'll take one more bite. And we got some other birds on the plate there. We've got some quail. Yes. Just with basic salt and charcoal grilled. Yeah, and he put them onto the skewers, gave them a nice coating of salt and again, slow roasted them over the charcoal. Let's go for a bird. Quail. This is gonna be finger food. Yeah, for sure. Oh, look at that meat underneath there. Nice and moist. And the skin is crispy again. Yeah. Amazing. And that is as fresh as possible. They actually have the live quails at the front. As soon as you order them, then they butcher them right there on spot. Grill them. Fresh meat. The thing about quail is it's quite lean, so you have to know how to grill it, but it doesn't get too dried out. Texture's fantastic. Glad you liked it. Oh, there's a little bit of a spice seasoning too. They have a very light spice rub with some salt. Okay. Yeah, just those Afghan seasonings. The five spice blend. Which is quite commonly used on a lot of dishes, right? Uh-huh, that's right. That we've seen so far. Mm-hmm. Mm. That is extremely tasty. You could snack on this all day long. Mm-hmm. Pretty good. This is the whole drumstick, drumstick thigh combo. Mm. Oh, you can even eat some of the bones. Yeah, great. All right, and then the main event? We've got rosh, which is a young lamb cooked with some potatoes, chilies, and garlic, and ginger. Just basic stuff with some salt. Since we were limited on time, they used a pressure cooker. Oh, okay. Classically speaking, they would put these ingredients in a pot, and then shut the lid of the pot with some dough. Oh. And then cook it on a slow simmer. Okay. So this is a traditional dish? That's right. Okay, and is it common? It originates from eastern Afghanistan. All right. The Ningerhar province, the Shinwari tribe. Oh, nice, okay. And when he made this, like we were in the butcher room, so you choose your meat, and then he sliced off literally a chunk of the tail fat, or the butt fat back there, like a chunk like that size. That went into the pressure cooker, and now it has dispersed into the meat, like it's just totally melted. There are some pieces of fat still there, but a lot of that fat has just melted into that sauce, keeping it so oily and moist, and gonna condense that flavor in the lamb. I think bread is a must. Oh, where to? Go for this. Where to take? Take that right there. Go for the leg move? This is a feeling that never gets old, on the leg and with bread, and just grabbing a chunk, chunkage. Oh. It is that chunk of tail fat that's been melted. I think it's just like gone back into itself, into the lamb. It's actually creamy. Mm-hmm. Oh, and you taste the sweetness of the lamb as well. We've had some crazy good lamb on this trip. Again, melts, and you taste the flavor of the, he tossed in a couple of whole heads of garlic in there. All that flavor has dispersed within the lamb, and then also the green chilies in there, giving it a little extra spices. Well, not spicy, but just the aroma of the green chilies. That's right. I'm actually excited to try the potato too. It's actually underrated. Most people overlook the potato. Oh, you can just smush it between your fingers. I kinda wanna dip in that juice. That's the way. Anytime you can cook potatoes in lamb fat, you know it's gonna be a good potato. Right. Oh, you actually taste the sweetness of the potato, and the creamy, the texture's creamy, like silky creamy. Oh, and I think we have a few other goodies down here. I would grab some chilies with some meat, with some bread. Okay. A little combo bite? If you can, I would grab a piece of the fat as well. Okay, a piece of the fat. Lamb fat. Straight up lamb fat. The tail. Oh, straight tail fat. Okay, tail. We're gonna go lamb. Then we'll go green chili. And then, of course, we'll go for a little dippage in the puddle. Mm. Full combo bite. Oh, man. Absorbed. Another exceptional meal. And when you need a little rest, you just have the perfect place to lounge. You could sit here all day, lounge and eat lamb, and just enjoy the sound of the river. We're very glad to have you, Mark. Thank you again, Bilal. Absolutely. We're very happy to have you. For inviting us here, for inviting us to Afghanistan, for taking such good care of us. We're very pleased and we're very honored. Thank you. To have you. And I didn't wanna leave Paghman Valley without trying some of the fresh cherries. Local, it's cherry season. Look at these cherries. Just beautiful cherries. Let's get a... So sweet, so juicy. Mm. That's amazing. Bilal, you want some cherries? Oh, sure, sure, sure. Oh, these are great. You know, by the way, Paghman is known for its cherries. Mm. The weather is substantially cooler here, and that somehow, in combination of the soil, makes it a very good place to grow a lot of fruits besides cherries. And water, fresh water? That's right, fresh, cold. This water is actually from the snow, snows in the mountains right now. So this will die down later on in the winter. Okay, all right. Oh, man, these cherries are incredible. Perfectly sweet and sour. So juicy. Mm. It's been another incredible day in Afghanistan. Loved visiting Paghman Valley, even though we didn't have that much time. It was so worth the visit. It's such an incredible place. Again, a different world from Kabul, just 45 minutes away. We're gonna finish some more cherries. We're gonna relax for, like, five more minutes. And we're heading back to the city. I like it. John's favorite word is handsome. So friendly. Look at that smile. And he was our waiter.