Nestled between a barbershop and a small parking area in Adelaide, the light blue exterior of Parwana Afghan Kitchen conceals an amazing surprise that might not be obvious at first glance when passing by.
Colorful lanterns hang from the ceiling inside, with framed newspaper articles and family photographs adorning the vibrant walls.
This is where Durkhanai Ayubi, whose parents operate the shop, works. restaurant , bears witness to astounding metamorphoses every day over dishes of pilau, ashak, and dal.
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"Some individuals visit accompanied by their mother, father, or grandmother who is quite… reluctant or hesitant, let’s say, about trying this unfamiliar cuisine," she explains.
The posture appears very guarded.
Everything shifts as soon as they begin eating.
Via delectable Afghan cuisine, hesitant eaters get a window into the profound heritage and traditions that Ayubi and her kin have preserved since departing from Afghanistan over three decades past.
Once the plates have been removed, you can observe a noticeable change in the patrons who initially entered the dining establishment filled with skepticism and misunderstandings.
"They will make an effort to mention, ‘I was unaware of this before [...]. My understanding of Afghanistan has been limited to war, poverty, and violence, but that meal was absolutely remarkable,’" states Ayubi.
The potency of cuisine lies in sharing meals across cultures, which she fully understands.
A culinary expert, restaurant owner, and award-winning cookbook writer, Ayubi has valued the significance of food ever since her childhood years.
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As a young child when her family moved to Australia due to displacement caused by the Soviet-Afghan War, she developed a strong connection to her heritage through traditional dishes prepared using ancestral recipes during family gatherings.
Separated physically from their native land, food turned into a "concrete reminder of home" for Ayubi, her parents, and her sisters.
"The strong urge we had as refugees and individuals who had lost so much to remain near sources of food was incredibly potent," she explains.
The authentic manner in which I grasped myself and my heritage [... ] and all that had vanished was through cuisine.
Some refugee children remember being teased at playtime because their lunchboxes were filled with foods from their home country, but Ayubi had the reverse experience.
Rather than having children ask her about the pita bread wraps in her bag, she found herself intrigued by their sliced white bread and Kraft cheese slices instead.
The outcome was a cultural exchange via the messy lunch trades and a feeling of camaraderie stemming from the shared meals that stayed with her from the playground throughout her career.
When she was younger, she realized that most people viewed her two cultural backgrounds—Afghan by birth and Australian through migration—as completely opposite, representing an either/or between Eastern and Western societies.
However, she discovered that in reality, components from each approach could seamlessly coexist.
She mentioned that she could form her own identity by choosing elements from various cultural norms, suggesting it wasn’t an all-or-nothing decision.
It provided an opportunity for me to explore and select my own identity grounded in something that seemed deeper and more universal.
For many years, she has aspired to demonstrate to others what she sees—that Afghan culture isn’t solely defined by the militarized violence portrayed repeatedly in news reports and media headlines. Instead, her aim was to reveal its depth, diversity, and beauty.
Her first book Parwana: Dishes and Tales from an Afghan Kitchen achieved exactly that by means of its critically acclaimed delve into Afghan cuisine, customs, and self-concept.
This work aided in closing the cultural divide for countless non-Afghan readers, dispelling long-standing misperceptions frequently grounded in prejudice that had persisted for decades.
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The following week, Ayubi plans to escalate matters with what promises to be a deeply moving event. event at the Sydney Writers' Festival (SWF) centred on the book My Dearest Kabul: One Year with an Afghan Women's Writing Collective
Authored by Afghan women who lived through the capture of Kabul by the Taliban in 2021, this work compiles insights from 21 women, offering an unvarnished portrayal of Afghanistan that many Australians haven’t encountered previously.
"What I often find lacking when individuals encounter injustice and marginalization—like in the tales of Afghanistan and numerous refugees globally—is essentially about narratives and who gets to tell these stories," states Ayubi.
She will be joined by senior judge Shakila Abawi Shigarf and contributor Rana Zurmaty, both of whom were evacuated from Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover and have deeply personal stories to share.
Ayubi thinks that these are tales which ordinary Australians should listen to.
"As Afghan individuals and part of the Afghan diaspora, it’s crucial for us to share our own narratives, and I believe this is equally significant for the wider Australian community,” she states.
Typically, members of the general public seldom get an opportunity to listen to Afghan narratives, particularly those coming from Afghan women.
She looks forward to sharing more of her insights at SWF and incorporating them into her upcoming book, set to be published in 2026.
Ayubi was in her mid-20s when she initially went back to Afghanistan during her late 20s, and most recently traveled there in 2023, which was approximately two years following the Taliban’s seizure of power.
The visit to her mother was spontaneous, and even though her homeland showed signs of the occupation, she could still find its inherent charm underneath.
That's the beauty she wishes to share with fellow Australians.
"As individuals from this background, such as myself or others, we have the responsibility to begin sharing our personal insights into Afghanistan," she stated.
It feels like I have an obligation to serve as the link between those two cultures.
Ayubi hopes that by sharing Afghan cuisine, traditions, and narratives, she can foster a greater appreciation for her homeland beyond just conflict and warfare.
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