Toot wa Charmaghz — Dried Mulberries and Walnuts for the Road
A handful of dried white mulberries, sweet as honey, mixed with walnut halves. Nothing to cook, nothing to keep cold: the pure energy of sun-dried orchard fruit.
A handful of dried white mulberries, sweet as honey, mixed with walnut halves. Nothing to cook, nothing to keep cold: the pure energy of sun-dried orchard fruit.
When you leave for the day without knowing when you will really eat, you slip a handful of mulberries and walnuts into the bottom of your bag. The white mulberries, dried on the rooftops in summer, are sweet as sugar — a jolt when the road drags on and the convoy stops an hour longer than planned. People offered them to me by the handful, poured straight into my palm. I chewed them in many a battered car, rereading my notes: the snack of people who walk a lot and own little.
- •Dried white mulberries (toot) — a good handful (sugar/energy)
- •Walnut halves (charmaghz) — a handful (fat/satiety)
Toot wa Charmaghz — Dried Mulberries and Walnuts for the Road
A handful of dried white mulberries, sweet as honey, mixed with walnut halves. Nothing to cook, nothing to keep cold: the pure energy of sun-dried orchard fruit.
Why this dish? On the long mountain roads, during the unpredictable movements of war reporting, you need food that fits in a pocket and does not spoil. Dried mulberries and nuts are the snack that Afghans take everywhere — the local equivalent of energy bars for those covering terrain where meals are irregular.
When you leave for the day without knowing when you will really eat, you slip a handful of mulberries and walnuts into the bottom of your bag. The white mulberries, dried on the rooftops in summer, are sweet as sugar — a jolt when the road drags on and the convoy stops an hour longer than planned. People offered them to me by the handful, poured straight into my palm. I chewed them in many a battered car, rereading my notes: the snack of people who walk a lot and own little.
Ingredients (period version)
- Dried white mulberries (toot) — a good handful (sugar/energy)
- Walnut halves (charmaghz) — a handful (fat/satiety)
Ingredients
- Dried white mulberries — 100 g (or substitute dried mulberries/raisins) (sugar/energy)
- Walnut halves — 80 g (fat/satiety)
- Pistachios or almonds (optional) — a handful (garnish)
Method
- Check that the dried mulberries are thoroughly dry and free from moisture.
- Roughly break the walnut halves.
- Mix mulberries and nuts (and pistachios if desired) in generous proportions.
- Store in a cloth or airtight container; take a handful per outing.
How it was made : Mulberry trees are essential in Afghan valleys: the fruit is spread on flat rooftops to dry in the summer sun, then stored for winter. Ground into powder, they also sweetened bread when wheat was scarce. The mulberry-walnut mix is an ancient peasant ration, portable and highly energetic.
The contemporary twist : Presented as a Hindu Kush trail mix in a small cloth pouch — the energy bar before energy bars.
Sources : Helen Saberi, Afghan Food & Cookery (2000)
Christina Lamb · Charactorium
