I view the world from the prism of food and ingredients, so here is my 'view' of Afghanistan. I have flown over that country twice, on my way westwards. Everybody on those flights were looking out of the windows of the aircrafts, eyes wide with wonder. Afghanistan is a magnificently lovely country with everything going for it, from geographical location to mountains, culture, a multitude of tribes and ethnicities, gorgeous monuments (Bamiyan Buddha, mosques etc). But the ingredients it grows are world-class.

A thread for everyone who is fulminating about why India is not 'growing' asafoetida/hing Hing is a wild plant. It has never been cultivated. It grows in uninhabited hilly regions of Afghanistan and Iran. Neither country uses it much. It is ALL consumed in India, except a tiny part that Germans use as Insecticide for fields! Beat that!