There are several languages in Afghanistan. The three main languages are: Dari, which is closely related to the Farsi (Persian) spoken in Iran; Pashtu, which is the language of the Pashtuns; and Turkic, of which there are several different dialects. My Afghan family and most of my Afghan friends speak Dari, and this is also the language most commonly used in Kabul, so it was the one I learned. I give the names of dishes in a phonetic transcription of Dari, with apologies to language scholars for any inconsistencies.