Firni is a soft, chilled milk pudding and one of the best-loved desserts in Afghanistan. Milk is warmed and thickened, in Afghan kitchens usually with cornflour rather than ground rice, then sweetened and perfumed with cardamom and a dash of rosewater; some cooks add a few threads of saffron. Poured into a shallow dish or small bowls and left to cool and set, it is finished with chopped pistachios or other nuts.
The name comes from Persian, and close relatives are made across a wide region, from fereni in Iran to phirni in the Indian subcontinent. Because it needs only a few ingredients and no eggs, firni is quick to prepare, yet it is also a dish of celebration, served at engagements and weddings and at the Eid that ends Ramadan. Children, especially, adore it.