As a child, Afghan American author Toba Adina-Jao dreaded peeling clove after clove of garlic.
The garlic peel would stick stubbornly to her fingers. Then came the mortar and pestle. She would load all that garlic with a pinch of salt into the mortar and use the pestle to turn it into a paste.
Despite her protests that garlic was readily available in a jar and could save so much time, her mother always insisted that good Afghan food started with fresh ingredients. The lingering garlic scent would remain on her fingers for days, and she’d walk around elementary school with those stinky garlic fingers!
Over time, Adina-Jao went from disliking the smell of garlic to understanding that it’s a staple in many of her favorite Afghan dishes. What started as a chore became a love for cooking, baking, reading and writing — a passion that would eventually inspire her to write her first book.
Fast forward to 2022, and Adina-Jao is following in her mother’s footsteps: She now enjoys cooking Afghan dishes with her children, using fresh ingredients just as her mother did. She understands now why they spent hours in the kitchen, meticulously focused on each ingredient.
Adina-Jao was born in Kabul, Afghanistan, and raised in Alameda, Calif., U.S.A. Her family fled Afghanistan in the early 1980s. Her book, “Me, Mommy, Mantu,” honors Afghan culture, the beloved dish of mantu and the joy of cooking with loved ones.
Afghan hospitality and food are central to every gathering — whether with family, friends, neighbors or even strangers. Afghan cuisine is a celebration of vibrant spices like zeera (caraway), gashneech (coriander), na na (mint) and ail (cardamom) — the fragrances of which fill the house and warm the heart.
Adina-Jao hopes “Me, Mommy, Mantu” inspires you to grab an apron, get garlic on your fingers, have fun and make your own memories cooking mantu with your loved ones. Noshe jaan!
“Me, Mommy, Mantu” is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
