Algerian

Algerian cuisine is the local cooking style that manages to fuse both Arabic as well as Mediterranean cultures to create a blended cooking style of both cultures. Over the ages, local Berber tribes migrated all over the surrounding desert region and managed to combine the recipes of every indigenous culture in the region to make it their own. It was they who first bought wheat cultivation, butter making and date growing to the region and actively ensured its propagation and inclusion into Algerian food.

 


Classification of Algerian cuisine
Algeria is a desert state with more than 80% of its population being Arab while the remaining 10% is Berber. Berbers are also of four different tribes and they do have slightly different regional cooking variations. Algerian food and cuisine tends to be uniform across the state with a few regional variations thrown in because of the different settlers who inhabit the state.

 


Historical and Cultural Influences on Cuisine
The entire population is predominantly Muslim with only 1% of the population being Christian or Jew. Algerian cuisine is an eclectic mix of different civilizations including the French, Spanish and Romans who invaded the state regularly.  A multitude of Algerian food dishes which are a mix of several cultures, flavors, aromas and textures can be seen. Berbers loved to include fruits, vegetable and meat stews and grains in their diet. The French contributed the use of tomato puree, aperitifs and desserts, while the Turks and Arabs were foremost in contributing spices and pastries. Strong Mediterranean influences in the form of chicken, olives, peppers, lentils, lemons and eggplant use are also seen in Algerian cuisine

 


Ingredients Commonly Used in Algerian Cuisine Foods
Couscous or durum semolina is the national Algerian food and forms the basis of daily Algerian meals. The steamed grains of couscous are served with meat or vegetable gravy that is prepared separately and then served over the dish. Tea or kahwa or Turkish coffee is served with every meal and the main course is usually followed by a sweet. Lamb is the main variety of meat that is consumed although mutton and chicken are popular. A few households also bake their own leavened bread called khabz that is served at every meal.

 


Algerian Cuisine Recipes Popular in Foreign Culture
Couscous is a very popular Algerian cuisine dish that has spread all over the world. Apart from this dish, harissa a very spicy red sauce, kefta or meatballs, and dolma are very popular in the world even though they have strong Algerian origins.

 


Traditional Algerian Cuisine Recipes
The most popular Algerian recipe in the state is merguez or a special handmade spicy lamb sausage made predominately around the Atlas Mountains. Other simple dishes that are traditional and commonly cooked include chakchouka or halfboiled eggs on peppers, Lahm lhalou and pastilla or a sweet from Tlemcen and Harira which is lamb and chickpea stew. Spices are very commonly used in Algeria and they also use red chilies ginger, garlic, mace, caraway, black pepper and cumin in their ingredients. There are a huge amount of sweets too that are commonly used like halwa, nougat, and asida.

 


Algerian Cuisine Trivia
Algeria is a predominantly Muslim state and pork meat in any variation is considered taboo.