Algerian cuisine. Algerian dishes - recipes

Algeria, like its national cuisine, is not very well known in our country. Meanwhile, local dishes and taste habits are quite original: based on ingredients and spices traditional for many Arab peoples, they borrowed a lot from the colonial past. As a result of this alliance, a distinctive and diverse Algerian cuisine was formed.

Arabic traditions

The basis of Algerian cuisine is traditional ingredients and cooking methods for any Arabic food. The most popular method of heat treatment is long-term stewing, which helps to reveal the flavors of all the ingredients used.

Almost every dish contains a large amount of vegetables, especially eggplants, zucchini, tomatoes, and sweet peppers. Since Algerians are predominantly Muslim, their meat diet is based on lamb and chicken.

Cold appetizers are highly valued: salted hot peppers, olives, fresh or pickled vegetables are almost always present on the table.

The most common first courses are thick vegetable soups with lentils or chickpeas in lamb broth, sometimes vermicelli is added. The spices used are mainly cumin, coriander, as well as fresh celery, parsley or cilantro. These are very nourishing, rich soups.

Second courses are no less traditional for Arab countries. The basis of most side dishes are the already mentioned stewed vegetables, as well as couscous, a durum wheat cereal. Algerians skillfully use these two components, adding chicken, lamb or Mediterranean fish, and generously seasoning with spices: hibiscus petals, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, and lemon juice. There is also an option for preparing couscous, which is very reminiscent of our kutya. Separately, it is worth mentioning the delicious bureks - small puff pastry pies with various fillings.

The most popular desserts are various sweet pastries, dates and nougat, to which peanuts are usually added. All this is washed down with small portions of very strong coffee, which is usually accompanied by a glass of water.

French influence

However, the period of French colonization did not pass without a trace. As a result, one of the most beloved products in Algeria is cheese, both regular semi-hard varieties and soft ones, reminiscent, for example, of the traditional Camembert and made from cow's or sheep's milk. Algerian cheese is a very high quality product, but at the same time very inexpensive.

Another example of French influence is baked goods. Classic baguettes and other types of crispy pastries are very popular in Algeria.

It is worth noting that food in Algerian hotels is often adapted to European tastes, so for authentic local cuisine you should go to small local restaurants, and fresh buns or dates can always be bought in numerous shops.

Finally I found the time to post some of the recipes for Algerian cuisine that I brought back at the beginning of last year. They have some tasty treats, the recipes of which are easy to prepare. For example, charek. Based on the dough and filling, they make 3 delicacies, the only difference is in the name and design. By the way, charek is not, in my opinion, one of my favorites. Of all three, I would put it in the very last place only because of excessive sweetness, although for someone’s taste (I’ve seen such people), it will be very tasty.
Unfortunately, we have practically no flower (fruit) water, also known as orange blossom. When I was preparing oriental delicacies at home, I made an “analog”, i.e. I diluted orange juice with plain water, the proportions were approximately 1:5.
Since preparing the dough is similar to preparing the dough and filling for baklava, I use the same photos in the step-by-step photos
Enjoy your meal!!!

COMPOUND:
dough :
- 300 gr. flour
- 100 gr. melted butter
- a pinch of salt
- flower water
filling :
- 300 gr. nuts (we used peanuts, you can use almonds)
- 100 gr. granulated sugar
- 1 tsp. (about) cinnamon
- flower water
decoration (syrup and topping):
- 1 lemon
- 100 ml (approximately) flower water (can be replaced with regular water)
- powdered sugar for sprinkling (a bag of about 200 g, I can’t say exactly, but there should be some left)
- 200 gr. Sahara

PREPARATION:
1. Melt the butter


2. Add salt to flour


3. Pour oil into flour


4. Rub the butter and flour between your palms until crumbs form.


5. Start adding water little by little and knead the dough.




6. The dough should not stick to your hands. Cover the dough with film or put it in a bag and leave for half an hour


7. Grind the nuts, add sugar and cinnamon


8. Gradually add water until you get a mass from which you can roll into balls.




8. Add water and cut lemons to sugar and make syrup. Once the sugar dissolves, the syrup is ready.


9. Roll out the dough into a flat cake about 10 cm in diameter, add the filling, pinch and shape into a crescent. Bake in the oven at 180 degrees for 10-15 minutes

Algerian national cuisine is a collection of recipes that go back to ancient times. It is difficult to say that Algerian cuisine is something isolated and characteristic only of this state.

For the most part, Algerian cuisine refers to the broader, generic concept of “Maghrebian cuisine,” which combines the national cuisines of the peoples living in North Africa. Many dishes of Maghreb cuisine are very similar in composition and method of preparation and differ only in name.

This can be easily explained from a historical point of view, because until the end of the 19th century there was no strict division into states in this region, so everything here, including the cuisine, developed in one direction. Algerian cuisine bears traces of the influence of the cuisines of its closest neighbors - Tunisia and Morocco. French and Turkish cuisines also made an equally influential impact.

Thanks to this influence, Algerian recipes now boast titles such as all kinds of kebabs, baguettes, puff pastries and a variety of pastries. Sweet dishes in Algerian cuisine are invariably prepared using large amounts of sugar and honey.

The religious beliefs of Muslim Algeria left their mark on culinary preferences. So in Algerian cuisine there are no dishes made from pork, as well as alcoholic drinks. Algerians can only afford light wines made from grape varieties grown in local vineyards. In Algeria they drink mainly juices, as well as milk and clean water. Algerians love black coffee, but they drink tea much less often than in other countries. The preferred meat here is lamb, which not only does not contradict the Muslim faith, but is also the most suitable type of meat for the local hot climate.

Algerian recipes make generous use of fish. It is prepared in a variety of ways and served with a wide variety of sauces.

Dishes of Algerian cuisine are invariably generously seasoned with spices and herbs. You can list them all for as long as you like, here are just a few of them: cinnamon, turmeric, anise, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, cardamom, cumin, pepper, cumin, coriander.

Of course, a rare dish of Algerian cuisine is complete without vegetables. The most popular here are vegetable salads and vegetable snacks. For example, peppers with olive oil, anchovies with garlic, cucumbers with cream, and, of course, a salad of fried peppers and tomatoes. People in Algeria eat potatoes, eggplants, artichokes, onions, and various legumes.

Of course, Algerians have special culinary traditions associated with the great Muslim holiday of Ramadan. Traditional dishes of this holiday are El Ham Lalu - a dish of lamb with fruit, as well as the well-known wheat vegetarian soup, to which cilantro and mint are added. This soup turns out to be quite thick, but incredibly tasty, despite the lack of meat.

And yet, meat dishes occupy the main place in Algerian cuisine recipes. Here one cannot fail to mention such famous dishes as huzibet with cheese and spinach, which is a hot dish, as well as turtu with meat, very reminiscent of the usual pies.

So, in conclusion, it is worth saying that Algerian cuisine, although subject to powerful external influences, managed to retain its originality and unique local flavor.

The national dish of the Algerians is couscous, steamed wheat, served with lamb and chicken, boiled vegetables and sauce. Translated from Arabic, couscous, ta"am, means “food.” Turnips, onions, raisins, peas, red pepper, salt, cumin and coriander are also added to couscous.

This dish can also be sweet - just add honey, cinnamon or almonds. Lamb meat is popular - it is fried over an open fire and served with bread. The dish is called mechoui. Also on the table of an Algerian family is the spicy chorba soup; dolma – a mixture of tomatoes and peppers; burek – minced meat with onion and egg, fried in batter.

Poor Algerians subsist on baked goods made from mixed grains and a drink consisting of crushed goat's milk cheese and water.

In Algeria they drink strong black coffee and sweet mint tea, as well as apricot and other fruit juices. Lavan, a mixture of yogurt with water and mint leaves, is popular. In Algeria, vineyards grow and wine is made, but alcoholic products are not in demand, since they are prohibited according to Islamic law.

Traditions in food

In honor of religious holidays, families prepare special dishes. On Mulud, the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad, Algerians eat dried fruits in large quantities. During the month of Ramadan, Muslims do not eat or drink at all during daylight hours.

As darkness falls, everyone sits down to a family meal. Eid al-Fitr, which symbolizes the end of the month of Ramadan, is marked by a variety of delicious foods, especially baked goods and other sweets.