That’s right.  It’s not burGER, it’s burGAR.

And it is nothing like the American hamburger, in fact it resembles most closely a gyro or doner flatbread sandwich.

It looks disgusting and tastes wonderful.

You start with an extra thin na’an, or Afghan flatbread, which is placed on a piece of newspaper.  The last one I had was in a mud hut on the side of the road near Darulaman, Kabul.  The newspaper was a copy of the ISAF propaganda sheet torn in three pieces, and the piece I had had an entertaining and informative article on diarrhea and how it can lead to death, which I found rather ominous, but I am either brave and stupid and drove on with my meal.

The burger filling is usually prepared on a propane gas stove, sitting on the ground in the dirt and dust.  The meat, which goes atop the flatbread is some pink-ish mystery meat, and it is best not to overly consider its origin.  Usually, the burgar guy throws the meat into some boiling fat on the propane burner to warm it up.  Also in the boiling fat are some french fries.

After the meat, which is usually just big enough to see, goes a sliced boiled egg, and possibly some tomato, if they have it.  Then, they put some salad on next.  My favorite salad mix is parsley, onion and cilantro. Remember the french fries boiling in the fat?  Those go on next.  Following all that, they throw some spicy chutney on everything, then roll it up in the newspaper, and crimp the bottom, so you can eat it and get grease all over yourself.

Burgars are the cheapest Afghan street food, and are marketed to those who are too poor to afford anything else. Typical street price of burgar is 30 to 50 afs, which is right around 70 cents to one dollar, for a complete meal.

For those who gave an extremely strong gastrointestinal system and the ability to go outside of safe houses and military bases, it is highly recommended to try the Afghan hamburgar.