In Lille, customers seated in a bistro that evening discovered plates scented with cardamom and cumin. Behind the stove, it is not the usual chef, but an Afghan refugee cook who settled in the metropolis a few years ago. The evening has only just begun.
Arriving in France in 2020, a former professional cook in Afghanistan, this chef has resumed his career step by step. He obtained a CAP in cooking, learned the codes of the French brigades and today finds himself invited to several Lille restaurants for a special operation. A 2 min 29 video retraces this journey in the kitchen and in the dining room.
From Afghanistan to Lille, the journey of a refugee chef
Before taking his place in the Lille kitchens, this cook already worked in the restaurant industry in Afghanistan. Nourished by family recipes, he prepared rice dishes, simmered meats and breads while still warm every day. Exile forced him to leave everything, including this profession that he had mastered for years.
In France, he chose to go through training again to have his skills recognized. The CAP cuisine obtained opened the doors to internships, then collaborations in real service conditions. And then mastering French culinary vocabulary, hygiene rules and the rhythm of the shot gave him new confidence.
A solidarity culinary operation in Lille restaurants
The operation in which he is participating takes place at several addresses in Lille: for each service, a restaurant entrusts him with its stoves for an ephemeral menu inspired by his childhood. In the kitchen, he explains his actions, details the cooking times, tastes the sauces with the team in place. Because ultimately, the idea is as much to transmit as to serve new dishes.
In Lille, these evenings are part of a broader movement: that of operations which promote the talents of refugee chefs by inviting them to restaurants in the city. The Refugee Food Festival, for example, has for several years been organizing services where cooks from Afghanistan or other countries imagine a menu alongside local brigades, for a few days in June.
Kabuli pulao, mantu: when Afghan cuisine comes to Lille
In the video, the images of large rice dishes sprinkled with vegetables and dried fruits evoke the spirit of kabuli pulao, considered a national dish in Afghanistan. This long rice stewed with meat, often lamb, carrots, raisins and sometimes pistachios illustrates generous cuisine, designed to be shared around the table.
Another must-have often cited when talking about Afghan cuisine, mantu, small steamed ravioli stuffed with minced meat and served with a yogurt sauce, also appear regularly on the tables of refugee chefs.
Afghan cuisine: where to eat in Lille?
In Lille, La Table Afghane and UZ.Restaurant offer Afghan specialties all year round.
Refugee Food Festival Lille
In June, the Refugee Food Festival invites refugee cooks to partner restaurants in Lille.
Key dishes of Afghan cuisine
Kabuli pulao, mantu and many rice, legume or meat dishes make up Afghan cuisine.
