Durkhanai Ayubi
Durkhanai Ayubi (born 1985) is an Afghan food expert, restaurateur, and prize-winning cookbook author based in Adelaide, Australia. She is best known for her cookbook and culinary memoir, "Parwana", which features traditional Afghan and family recipes, many of which she and her family have cooked in their restaurant of the same name. Throughout the book, Ayubi traces the history of Afghanistan and its diverse society from antiquity to the present. She describes how new ideologies, such as Soviet-inspired communism and Islamic extremism, informed movements that challenged Afghan culture and traditions and led to large-scale displacement  of Afghans, including many members of her own family. Family, education and career. Durkhanai Ayubi was born in 1985 in Kabul, Afghanistan to Zelmai and Farida Ayubi. She is one of five daughters. The Soviet-Afghan War displaced the Ayubi family, leading them to emigrate to Australia via Pakistan in 1987. They initially settled in Melbourne before moving to Adelaide in 1989. In 2009, her family opened their first restaurant, Parwana, in Adelaide, which later inspired her cookbook. The family returned to Afghanistan in 2012 for the first time since their emigration. In 2014, they opened their second restaurant, Kutchi  Deli Parwana, which reflects the street-food culture that they encountered during their trip. Ayubi’s mother is the cousin of (1928-1988), the philosopher, poet, journalist, diplomat and literary scholar, best known for his epic poem, "Ego-Monstre", and work monitoring the impact of the Soviet War as the director of the Afghan Information Center. Cookbook: "Parwana: Recipes and Stories from an Afghan Kitchen". Durkhanai Ayubi published her cookbook, "Parwana: Recipes and Stories from an Afghan Kitchen", in September 2020. It contains approximately 100 recipes inspired by her family, with many transmitted by her mother, Farida Ayubi. Ayubi couples  these recipes with reflections on Afghan history, culture, and politics. "Parwana" was published by Interlink Publishing (Massachusetts, US), which specializes in books relating to global culture, including cookbooks and cultural guides. Awards. Durkhanai Ayubi received critical acclaim for "Parwana". The book won an Art of Eating Prize for the best food book of the year in 2021 and the Guild of Food Writers award for the best international cookbook in 2021. She was also nominated for the Fortnum & Mason Food and Drink Award for the best debut cookbook of the year in 2021. Among those who have praised Ayubi and  her book "Parwana" is the Nobel laureate, Malala Yousafzai.