This is a revised edition. Years of practice have provoked the contribution of new recipes and amendments to old ones in a book that Prospect supporters have enjoyed to the full.

Helen Saberi married an Afghan engineer and lived for many years in Kabul. She and her family are now in Britain, but the recipes have been gathered from all manner of relations and are enhanced by Helen's acute observation of Afghan life and custom. Its value has been recognized by editions in France and Sweden, as well as a US version in the near future. The exciting thing about Afghan cookery is the way in which it expresses its connections with the neighbouring cultures of Iran and India. It was ever a vital crossroads: something we are unable to forget, even today. As so often, a particular dish may carry many messages on its spiralling aroma, not merely 'Ooh! that smells nice'. The book has charming pen drawings by the artist Abdullah Breshna.