Afghan salad — Afghanistan

Afghan salad is a fresh, uncooked side dish built from finely diced raw vegetables, brightened with citrus juice and fresh herbs rather than an oil-based dressing. It is served as an accompaniment to grilled meats, rice pulao and other cooked mains, adding a crisp, tangy contrast to richer dishes on the table. It is part of everyday Afghan home cooking and appears widely in households and small restaurants alike, without being tied to a particular festival or season. Because its ingredients are simple and widely available, it travels easily with the rest of Afghan cuisine and turns up on tables wherever Afghan families gather to eat. To prepare it, tomato, cucumber, onion and carrot are diced into small, even pieces and combined with finely chopped cilantro and mint. The mixture is seasoned with salt and black pepper, then dressed with a generous squeeze of lime or lemon juice and tossed well so the vegetables release a little of their own juice into the dressing before being chilled briefly. Some cooks add bell pepper, radish or parsley for extra color and crunch, or swap lime for lemon depending on what is on hand. This version keeps to the core vegetables and herbs, dressed only with citrus juice and no oil, so the vegetables themselves stay the center of attention rather than being masked by a heavier dressing.