Beautiful Algeria

[chefzadi]

First I have two disclaimers.

1. I cannot reproduce too many recipes from the cookbook that I’m working on. Just so you know that it’s not because I am stingy or secretive about it I will explain the reasons. I have been in contact with a few literary agents (one is well known) who have told me that they want to sign me when I build a stronger platform of public appearances. (I don’t quite understand this, because with my contacts I wouldn’t have trouble building a lot of public appearances once I have a published cookbook. Without one, I end up teaching cooking classes which is fine. But you know what I mean.). I’m also considering taking it directly to publishers. I’m not sure how much pre-publishing is a acceptable.

2. As some of you know I am a little culturally “confused.” But I will explain it a little more here. I was born in France to Algerian parents. Our relatives still maintain the family farm in Setif. Setif is very close to the Kabyle a Berber stronghold. The Berbers don’t call themselves Berbers of course, only when they are trying to explain to someone who doesn’t know what Amazigh means. My family refers to themselves as Arabs, but in fact we are culturally and ethnically Berber as well. I have blond haired, light skin and green eyed relatives and Setif cooking is not far off from Kabyle style. So I am a Kabylie in ways that I do not know exactly how to define, but Arabs from other parts of Algeria notice this fairly quickly and point it out to me (very casually and politely).

So you see I am very confused or woven like a spider web. I will try discuss Algerian cookery somewhat regionally, but I want to focuse more on cooking and actual dishes. Also I am not a historian, a scholar or an anthropologist. Questions about "authenticity" or "genuineness" aren't always easy for me to answer. I can tell you what my generation of Algerians cook and eat in terms of what we call Algerian food and what our parents and grandparents cooked. I will start with some broad thoughts on Algerian cuisine in my next post. Then move on to regions.

Edited March 20, 2005 by chefzadi (log)

[chefzadi]

In my opinion, Algerian couscous is far superior, and their cuisine has more variety and sophistication than comparable cuisines from Morocco and Tunisia. That's my opinion, but I've eaten a lot of couscous...

In the west it has Morocco and in the East Tunisia. So the Moroccon influence has given it taste for sweet and Tunisia a love for honey and tomatoes and thick sauces.

And least of all what moves me about Algeria is the setting in which one would experience great food amidst the echoes of just as amazing music filling the air. Oran is the birthplace of Rai music. The music of Algeria in most any form, is evocative of the layers of richness that the culture has and also of the pain suffered by its masses.

Geography and history have given Algeria more variety than it's North African neighbors: Morocco, Tunisia and Libya. Our southern Saharan neighbors include Mauritania, Mali, Niger and it barely kisses Western Sahara.

There are few other parts of the world where the Ancient and the new co-exist the way it does in North Africa. There are tribes that live essentially the same way as their ancestors did. To give some reference to the time, think of the Biblical times and before. The dress and customs have changed little.

If I can choose a beginning it is Carthage and the Berbers, then The Roman era, the Vandals and Byzantines (there are still Byzantine and Roman ruins in Setif), The Arabs, The Spanish, The Ottomans, The French and other Europeans. This is where some of the pain in our music comes from that Suvir Saran so succinctly stated. But from pain comes songs that sooth us and heal us. And from this conflict, rupture and pain was born a grand cuisine with rich layers and deceptive veils. For what is Algerian cuisine when it is so much?

So I will start with the simple in my next post. Setif and the Kabyle.

Edited March 21, 2005 by chefzadi (log)

[Smithy]

I am eager to read more about this. Thank you for starting to educate us!

[zeitoun]

I'm really looking forward to this Chefzadi, thanks for taking the time to write about your beautiful Algeria...

[bleudauvergne]

I will try discuss Algerian cookery somewhat regionally, but I want to focuse more on cooking and actual dishes.

I am so exited about this. I have friends of Algerian descent and I want to suprise them next time I invite them to dinner!

[chefzadi]

Some photos of Setif here

and here.

The provinces of Algeria are called Wilaya.

The Ancient Roman's called the city Sitifis when they founded it in the 1st century AD. But the mountain people of Algeria were probably already there and we are still there making native textiles.

Some of you may be surprised by how European Setif looks. That's because the French built the modern parts of it on top of Ancient Roman ruins. There is a amusement park in the middle of town next to the ruins of a Byzantine fortress.

So in this big city (I think second in size to Algiers, off the top of my head of course I will be more accurate in my book, but I'm writing as I'm thinking now), where is the family farm I mentioned before? It's on the outskirts. My relatives live in both the city and the country.

What is special or different about Setifienne cooking from the rest of Algeria? Well the mountaion people of the region often times don't use any spices in their savory dishes. Garlic is often used in modest amounts as well. If we do add spices to a "tajine" it will never be cinnamon. The prefered semolina couscous is very fine, never the medium or the coarse. Barley couscous can also be found, but my family rarely made this type. This is not the region to find robust, spicy Algerian food. The cooking here is simpler and very delicate or rustic.

The flatbread of choice is Kesra made from Semolina, salt and water. They are also called Bouzgene, I think. This bread can be eaten plain or spread with a red pepper relish.

The "tajines" here often times mix chicken, lamb and beef all together. Zuchinni, carrots and turnips seem to find there way into most of them.

Other dishes from the region

Ghraif, Chorba Arrassi, Berboucha, Kh'faf, M'bardja and Chekhchoukha are local favorites.

I will move on to the nearby Kabyle next. I am hoping some of my Algerian friends will accept my invitation to visit here. Many of them are better writers than I am and of course they have stories of their own to tell.

EDIT: Cumin is a treasured spice for savory dishes in this region. Also, you will not find the use of fruits in savory dishes.

Edited March 21, 2005 by chefzadi (log)

[chefzadi]

The Kabyle

Me: I have another question. Do Berbers (excuse my use of

the term) use cinnamon or nutmeg in savory dishes?

My friend Hassan (who is Imazighen from Kabylie):

If by "Berbers" you include Imazighen from Morocco, then

the answer is yes. For Kabyles, that would be true only

for pastry. But then again, it all depends on what sort

of "genuineness" you are after. Due to historical reasons,

Kabyles were empoverished after the French confiscated all

their possessions and relegated them to harsh high mountains.

As a consequence, fancy streaks in cookery (such as spices -

quite expensive since non locally produced) are rare indeed

and would be typically the staple of exceptional feasts.

The cooking of the Djurdjura mountains would not be much different from the cooking of the Setif mountains.

The name Kabylie comes from Arabic "Al Qabayel" ("tribes"), but it is also called "Tamurt Idurar" (Land of Mountains) or "Tamurt Leqvayel" (Land of Kabyles). It is part of the Atlas mountains. Kabylie spans several wilayas of Algeria: Tizi Ouzou and Bgayet, Bouira and Bordj Bou Arreridj, and parts of M'Sila, Jijel, Boumerdes, and Setif.

Tighrifin is a Amazigh flat bread. Amazigh sweets might include cinnamon, nutmeg or cardamon . The fine semolina couscous is preferred here, along with grains such as barley. The delicate steamed couscous with vegetables would be found here as well.

Hassan would like to make it very clear the Berbers invented the couscousier. I will have to ask him about the semolina couscous.

[Wolfert]

Thanks so much for starting this thread. I can tell it is going to be wonderful reading.

Don't you agree with your friend Hassan that Berbers developed the art of steaming couscous?

[chefzadi]

Thanks so much for starting this thread. I can tell it is going to be wonderful reading.

Don't you agree with your friend Hassan  that Berbers developed the art of steaming couscous?

←

I agree completely with that.

I was wondering about Hassan's thoughts on semolina couscous and how it was developed. He is a very well educated man and he keeps up on the history of the Kabylie and the Amazigh, much more than I will ever know.

Edited March 21, 2005 by chefzadi (log)

[FoodMan]

moderator note: the topic title was edited to be more descriptive and informative

[chefzadi]

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.

[chefzadi]

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...

[Jake]

Chefzadi, just came across this thread and wanted to say thank you for taking the time to do this. I'm really excited to read more about the food and common flavours -- almost as excited as I would be to read your cookbook when published. I love middle eastern and medditeranean food and have been lucky enough that most of what I've tried has been in the homes of expats rather than North American restaurant imitations. Can't wait for the next installment.

[chefzadi]

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...

[Pan]

I'd be really curious to read about what they cook in oases, too. In Salah, for example, is so far south. Is the food there very much influenced by tastes most of us think of as West African?

Edited March 23, 2005 by Pan (log)

[chefzadi]

I'd be really curious to read about what they cook in oases, too. In Salah, for example, is so far south. Is the food there very much influenced by tastes most of us think of as West African?

←

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.

[zeitoun]

Chefzadi, you mentionned "ceviche" preparations in Annaba, i had no clue. Could you elaborate on this, how are they normally prepared? what fish? what are they called in arabic? can it be found only in that region?

[chefzadi]

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?

[chefzadi]

Chefzadi, you mentionned "ceviche" preparations in Annaba, i had no clue.  Could you elaborate on this, how are they normally prepared? what fish? what are they called in arabic? can it be found only in that region?

←

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.

[chromedome]

... 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.

Next we go to Algiers...

←

Oooohhh, that hits a hot button for me.

My first competition, as a cooking student, the judges trashed my entree as "confused" because although it was a Mediterranean dish, it included "middle eastern" spices like cumin and coriander. I argued strenuously with them (a stupid thing, I know, but as I say it was my first competition) that the Med has both a north and a south coast, and that they'd influenced each other for millennia. I also pointed out that North African spices were widely used in European cooking from the days of Apicius (or earlier) to the arrival of the Ottoman ascendancy.

I guess it was like the ritual argument hockey players have with the referee after they've gotten a penalty...you know it won't change anything, but it makes you feel better.

This is a great thread, chef, and I'm looking forward to more.

[Pan]

[...]My first competition, as a cooking student, the judges trashed my entree as "confused" because although it was a Mediterranean dish, it included "middle eastern" spices like cumin and coriander.  I argued strenuously with them (a stupid thing, I know, but as I say it was my first competition) that the Med has both a north and a south coast[...]

←

Not only that, but also an eastern end, which is where the Levant is. What silly judges.

[chefzadi]

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.

[chefzadi]

My first competition, as a cooking student, the judges trashed my entree as "confused" because although it was a Mediterranean dish, it included "middle eastern" spices like cumin and coriander. I argued strenuously with them (a stupid thing, I know, but as I say it was my first competition) that the Med has both a north and a south coast, and that they'd influenced each other for millennia. I also pointed out that North African spices were widely used in European cooking from the days of Apicius (or earlier) to the arrival of the Ottoman ascendancy.

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

[chefzadi]

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...

[chefzadi]

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.