chefzadi

The color reminds me of the slow cooked eggs, there are different versions around the world. But I think in some places it's done by putting eggs into the ashes of a dying fire and leaving them to cook overnight. I've never tried eggs prepared this way. Although I've have slow cooked eggs prepared differently. Or maybe the eggs in the photo are pickled? Isn't some sort of slow cooked egg part of a traditional meal for a Jewish holiday? Amongst Jews from certain regions perhaps?

Have you learned nothing from movies? It's monkey eyeballs!!!

If the readers of this post take a little time to click onto the photo links to get a glimse of the regions and cities that I am referring to... Well this reminds me of a question that I am often asked "are there cities, buildings in Africa?" What do you think? Next we will visit Tlemcen...

Depends on the size of the Octopus. Basically very quickly or very slowly just like squid. We had whole baby octopus at a Spanish restaurant. They had been dipped in batter and deep fried. The heads sort of turned me off, but my wife just kept popping them whole into her mouth while teasing me by saying, "YUM!" They were very tender. .. er...according to her.

Michael- I'll show you how to protect yourself from the North African sun like a proper blue man (tuareg or toureg desert nomad). I have blue and white scarves from Algeria.

There's quite a bit of Arabic influence in Algeria. It's the national language for one. The Lebanese are Arabs as well. I didn't make any points about the Kasbah being an islamic city. I posted a photo link, to a website that I'm not affiliated with. There are many Kasbahs in North Africa. It means old part of town. I'm well aware of the history of the Berbers/Amazigh. My comments about 'confusion' were referring to my own cultural upbringing. Not confusion regarding Algerian history. A part of Setif (where my family is from) is a part of the Kabyle. Is it possible that someone can be both Arab and Berber culturally speaking? Yes, in fact the vast majority of Algerians are. The affiliation to one or other is often times an unfortunate political choice for most. I refuse to deny one or the other, because I am both. The irony is I found my brothers outside of the old country. Thank you for insights.

Constantine or Qustantînah was known as Sarim Batim in the Ancient Berber/Amazigh Kingdom of Numidia. The Romans called it Cirta and it was one of the wealthiest cities in Africa. It was destroyed in A.D. 311 during a war. It was rebuilt by Constantine I, who also renamed the city. The Vandals came in the 5th century and performed their usual gig, then The Arabs came and built onto the existing Roman architecture, the Ottomans came in the 16th. In 1837, seven years after the fall of Algiers into French hands, Constantine was added to the list of casualties. (However, the Berber leader Abdu l-Qadir held out against the French until 1847, I mentioned him earlier.) Constantine was built on top of a plateau surrounded by gorges, the spectacular thing about this is that it is a rather large city with a population of 750,000. Photos more photos (scroll down and click next for more photos) During the French colonial period the Europeans extensively developed high plains in the region around Sétif and Constantine. They were developed as the principal centers of grain cultivation. Remember this area has always been a bread basket, the French modernized some aspects of production. Constantine is also a regional center for manufacturing of leather, woolen and linen goods. It also functions as a (or did) as a center of trade for these goods and also cereals and grains. The cooks here use more cereals in their cooking and they would have greater access to spices because of the trade than other mountain cooks. Djari Abyad is a type of soup with the addition of rice. They would add Bulgur to Chorba, rather than vermicelli. Other dishes are gently spiced rice pilafs with almonds and sultanas. Overall the cooking here tends to be mild, delicate and rustic.

We've resorted to making it at home in Los Angeles.

It isn't as common as it used to be during my parent's generation. It's not exactly uncommon now, just much less common. It used to be cheap, now I think the prices are on par with Beef. Most of it is imported from the States. Delicious free range horsemeat. Anyway, the number of Boucherie Chevaline and restaurants serving horsemeat has declined drastically in the past few decades.

In 1808 Napolean developed a plan to invade Algeria. The French invasion in 1830 is based on this plan. In less than 3 weeks they take Algiers. French troops rape, loot and pillage. They desecrate mosques. In the meantime in France there is a change of power Louis Phillipe resides over a constitutional monarchy and a more liberal government. A parliamentary meeting concludes that the French invasions or rather method of invasions and resulting chaos were failures. But since they are in Algeria already, the occupation will continue. The policy now is to try to maintain the Ottoman policy of ruling through agreements with Algerian leaders of regions rather than through force. European settlers begin pouring into Algiers. Many of the French are poor peasants or working class just like their Italian and Spanish counter parts looking for opportunities. Some of the settlers include criminals from France. The Europeans also settle in rural areas. Northern Algeria is declared part of France. Algerians can obtain French citizenship but only after renouncing Islam. Therein lies the rub. And this rub was part of the “civilizing mission” to Frenchify the natives. As much as the French loved beautiful Algeria with a succession of Governments romanticizing about her eventually becoming a department, a ‘region’ of France like the Burgundy or the Rhone and the Algerian people becoming one with the French this was to never happen. Well not exactly the way they planned it. In 1839 Abdu l-Qadir publically declared continued resistance and war against the French occupants. He is the first hero in the fight for Algerian Independence. (He is a fascinating historical figure, I won’t go into the details now. But he eventually saves the lives of over 12,000 Christians in Damascus and receives the Grand Cordon of the Legion of Honour). 1830-1962. The French are in Algeria for 132 years. During this time they build European style cities or quarters throughout the country. Remember the photos of Setif and Annaba? The French part of the city still exists and as well as the Kasbah or the old part. photos. Come with me to the kasbah. (click on photo gallery at the bottom of the first image) The Italian immigrants were mostly Sicilian and we know how much the Arabs influenced the cooking there. You see in this part of the world, what goes around comes around. The Arabs had introduced dried semolina pasta to the Sicilians, as well as pastries. So now it's their turn to introduce Sicilian/Italian dishes to the Arabs. As for the Spanish settlers, they were mostly from the south. We already know about the moors. So the French influence, the culinary mark they left behind? Baguettes, sandwiches made with baguettes such as merguez and kebab, French fries, white sauce (béchamel), croquettes (sometimes served with tajines), gratins, charcuterie (pates especially, halal charcuterie also includes turkey cured like ham) and of course a French flair for presentation. But the Arabs and the Turks already had quite bit of flair. Modern day Algiers is the Capital of Algeria. The population is estimated to be around 3,000,000. Like most capital cities throughout the world, the citizenship is a mix from the rest of the country. Of course the homecooking here will be a reflection of this. Next we will go to Constantine...

It seems the judges studied Mediterranean history by watching the Food Network.

I have to give my wife a dollar everytime I say this. I'm dead broke.

I want to save discussion of the Moors for Oran. So I will start with the Ottomans in Algiers. The Barbary pirates unwittingly invite a new foreign power in an effort to expel the Spanish. The Ottomans are to stay for more than 300 years. Part of the Ottoman culinary genius was to absorb regional dishes and ingredients into it’s own. The table in this slice of Algerian history might include dolmas, yoghurt soups, vegetable dishes heavy with Olive Oil, bulghur salads, rice pilavs, doner kebabs and sis kebabs, poultry and vegetable casseroles, boureks stuffed with mincemeats or cheese. Sweets would include baklwa and kadaif, almonds puddings and of course Turkish style coffee. Another drink they introduce is Aryan. Next installment will be The French and other Europeans.

A true tribute to his Seattle roots. ← Shorts in Seattle? I'd think rubber boots before shorts.

Not sure where else to answer this: Also known as a stick or a hand blender... you can see a few here or here. You immerse the blade into the food and blend it in the pot or bowl. Very useful.. much easier to clean and I use it for almost any soup I puree. ← It's good for purees. Worthwhile to purchase, depending on the percentage of purees in your diet.

chefzadi, I am quite prepared to agree with you... but I've never seen any photographs taken by Italian painters. ← I wrote LIKE! METAPHOR alert. Or is that a simile in English? Let's call them tropes. I hate thes ($*#)&$ emoticons.

I will elaborate on the preparations later in the thread. As far as the word 'ceviche' is concerned, the dishes would be called cebiche in Algeria. It is part of the Patois we speak there. As for the origins of the word, I will have to ask scholars and report back.

The Phoenicians landed in Algiers in 1200 BC, they called it "Icosium” and operated as an important trading post. After that the Berbers, Romans, Vandals (they keep showing up don’t they? What did they contribute besides acting as demolitionists? Nothing), The Byzantines, The Arabs, The Berbers again and it becomes an important Mediterranean trade port some might say the center and in the 1500’s it became a haven for the Moors who had been vanquished from Spain. Some of these Moors turned to piracy along the Barbary Coast and their favorite target were Spanish ships. The Spanish of course returned the favor by taking over many ports in Algeria. Have you heard of the pirate Red Beard? He was Turkish. I won’t go into the details now, but he was 'recruited' by barbary pirates to stave off the Spanish and this invited the Ottoman Empire into Algiers. Flash forward July 5, 1830 , Algiers falls to the French. Once again it is used as a center, it becomes the base of French Colonial rule in North Africa. So now the backdrop is set. What is the style of cookery in Algiers?

It figures you would ask the 'hard' questions. It's harder for me to do research on the cooking in such areas. I gathered recipes based on my own experiences, friends who are still in Algeria and from the Algerian diaspora in France and elsewhere. So some recipes represent dishes that were at their height during colonial times, but are still being prepared on a smaller scale in Algeria. Some are memories and we all know how much time and distance can color them. Some are dishes that have not changed since the Berbers and Carthage. All are 'authentic.' At some point maybe Latin American literature will seem positively linear by comparison to my cookbook. Salah was perhaps once a quaint Oasis town, but now it's home to one of Algeria's largest oil and gas reserves and plants. I am still researching, mostly seeking out first hand accounts. I have also been in touch with Universities in Algeria to verify historical information. We'll see where I get with all of this.

Thank you everyone for your interest. I'm not done with my little tour of Algeria, in the meantime I welcome questions which I will begin answering once the geographic journey is complete. Also I welcome suggestions regarding which regions you would like me to cover. On my list for now is Algiers, Oran, Tlemcen, a short stop in Biskra (perhaps?), Constantine...

Photos of Annaba. Are you still surprised at how Mediterranean and modern looking parts of Algeria are? The cuisine here has the red, hot fire and thunder that Tunisian cookery does. Dersa, a condiment of dried chilies, garlic, spices and olive oil makes it's way on to many family tables. Does this condiment seem familiar to you? The Mediterranean sea provides sardines accounting for about half the catch. Other fish include anchovies, sprats, tuna, and shellfish. (Algiers and Oran are the other major fishing areas. But the fishing industry as a whole is not very well developed). Typical Mediteranean vegetables can be found here as well. Many of the seafood preparations are identical to Southern Spanish, Italian and French preparations. Is this because Annaba was popular with European settlers? Or is it because if you give a Mediterranean a sardine and a few of other similar ingredients the philosophy of simple cooking will achieve the same results no matter which side of the basin the cook is on? From the simple thing, a cook in Annaba might add a little North African Arab soul to it in the form of spices and in this region fresh or dried hot peppers would be common. The spices that were curiously absent in the Mountains would be more common in the cooking here. Cumin, coriander, caraway, fennel... Garlic and onions would be used with a heavier hand here than in the cooking of the mountains. Seafood and Fish tajines are found here. As well as escabeche and ceviche preparations. Slow cooked stuffed squid and braised Tuna. Sardines in every form, grilled, stuffed and grilled, escabeche... Anchovies make there way into salads and sauces. Little fish friture ... Next we go to Algiers...

Yes it is a beautiful plate. Lucy takes photographs like an Italian painter.

Are you folks Italian or something? I'm just teasing. At home I start with the salad, but sometimes I save a little to have just before the cheese course. The salads are always simple if they are served with other courses.

Lucy, Do you usually have such a wide variety of cheeses for your cheese course? I mean I can tell you like your cheeses. We usually just have one type of cheese, sometimes up to 3 or 5. I think I counted 8 or 9 on you plate. Now that's a cheese tasting.

We will leave the mountains of Setif and the Kabyle for now to follow the world’s most famous Berber/Amazigh St Augustine of Hippo, he was born in Souk-Ahras which is in the north east highlands of Ancient Numidia (don't confuse this with Numibia). He spent the last years of his life in Hippo Regius or contemporary Annaba. The Vandals came in 431, The Byzantines in 533, The Arabs in the 7th century, The Spanish in the 16th, during the 17th and 18th it was important Mediterranean trading port/post. The French came in 1832. The city is also on the Northeastern edge of Algeria close to Tunisia and it is at the center of one of the most fertile regions. I think that most of you can imagine what Annaba cookery might be like, even before I begin to discuss it. Or at the very least you know it is very different from the simple, delicate, rustic cooking of the Kabylie mountains. I have asked my friend Lyesse who is a native of Annaba for family recipes. He was raised in France and now lives in Los Angeles. My next post will focus on the Annaba cookery.