On the map, the nation of Afghanistan is tucked in between Iran and Pakistan. In terms of food, its culinary tradition falls between those two influences: on the one hand, pilau, shawarma and kabobs; on the other, curries and samosas.
But Afghani food is unique.
“It’s not so spicy,” said Omaid Amani, who came to Canada from Afghanistan in 1997, and is now one of the owners of the new Abrisham Halal Meat and Grocery in Bradford West Gwillimbury. “A little bit different. We have quabili pallow, we have shawarma – natural spice!”
It’s not about heat, it’s about the flavour, he said.
Abrisham is located at 126 Bridge St., Unit 6 – freshly redecorated to be light, bright and modern, perfect for the combination restaurant and grocery store.
The restaurant offers a selection of shawarmas, wraps, curries and kabobs, featuring halal chicken, beef and goat, with generous helpings, sides of salad, and complimentary green tea. Diners can eat in at one of several tables by the windows overlooking Bridge Street, or have their orders prepared to go.
But Abrisham is more than a restaurant. It’s also a halal butcher shop, with fresh cuts of chicken, beef, goat and lamb; a bakery; and a grocery store with a selection of imported foods and spices rarely found outside of the city.
Amani handles the bakery and the butcher shop, as he has “for a long time – 19 years!”
In addition to a selection of cookies and traditional Afghan sweets, the counter is piled with rounds of roht – Afghan sweet bread, topped with sesame seeds – and long, flat hosa bread, a type of naan almost a metre in length.
Some of the baked goods are prepared in-house. Others, like the baklava, are brought in from the city, and might not always be available – but there is always an impressive selection of treats.
Abrisham is the first Afghani grocery and restaurant in Bradford, and it has been busy since it opened three months ago “because people are coming in and buying everything," said Amani.
He is assisted behind the counter by family members, including his sister Laila Rasouli.
Abrisham Halal Meat and Grocery is open from 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday to Saturday, and from 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday. Call 905-775-1770 for more information. Eat in, takeout and catering are available.
“So many unique things you have to go to Toronto to get!” said one customer, picking up an order of kabobs, along with a selection of spices and teas.
Midweek Mugging is a regular series profiling local businesses or interesting people in Bradford West Gwillimbury. Want to be featured? Email [email protected].
