Beautiful Algeria

[zeitoun]

undefinedHow would you compare the concept of mezze with kemiah? Is the concept of kemiah present in all of North Africa? Is it big in Algeria?

I know Kemia as a Tunisian-Jewish spread of appetizers (meze like but different from the middle east) to drink with alcohol.

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I was actually introduced to Kemia by a morrocan friend and as you said it is very mezze like. I actually found it very similar in concept to what we have in the middle east. Does the concept of mezze also exist in Algeria, how is it called?

[chefzadi]

I think it exists in every Middle-Eastern and North African country. In Algeria it is called mezze as well. The dishes will vary depending on the region and the family. Mezza can be as simple as olives, spiced nuts, roasted eggplant. Or it can be quite elaborate. It can be eaten at the dinner table or placed on a seperate table.

Is this how you do it in Lebanon?

[Behemoth]

I think it exists in every Middle-Eastern and North African country. In Algeria it is called mezze as well. The dishes will vary depending on the region and the family. Mezza can be as simple as olives, spiced nuts, roasted eggplant. Or it can be quite elaborate. It can be eaten at the dinner table or placed on a seperate table.

Is this how you do it in Lebanon?

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As far as I've experienced it, in Lebanon it would refer to a several hour long semi-meal of lots of little dishes that you would snack on with arak (or wine). Like tapas. And usually something you'd need to drive to a restaurant in a christian area to get, as my more enthusiastically muslim relatives weren't so keen on the whole drinking culture, tradition (quite literally ) be damned. We'd start somewhere around 11am and go on till around 4pm, or else it would start in the evening and go on into the night. Someone would inevitably bring along an oud...

We had other meals of little dishes to go with afternoon tea for example, or little side dishes with dinner, but I don't remember anyone ever referring to them as mezza.

Edited March 25, 2005 by Behemoth (log)

[chefzadi]

Algeria is one of the oldest wine producing regions in the world. Ther Romans planted vinyards here. Later the Moors who were really Andalusians brought back varieties such Macabeo, Rosalda de Tolca, Criolla, Mataro, and Grenache from Iberia.

The French brought Ugni, Cinsault, Mourvedre, Alicante-Bouschet, Plante Mula and Cabernet.

Current production is 15,000,000 gallons per year. Expected growth in the next few years is up to 40,000,000 gallons.

[chefzadi]

As far as I've experienced it, in Lebanon it would refer to a several hour long semi-meal of lots of little dishes that you would snack on with arak (or wine). Like tapas.

We do that too. Not so much in Algeria anymore, for reasons that I won't get into here (I'm sure you all get my drift though). Anyway, depending on the region of Algeria, the mezze will even look like tapas. We have our own version of Pastis or Arak here as well.

[Jason Perlow]

We had other meals of little dishes to go with afternoon tea for example, or little side dishes with dinner, but I don't remember anyone ever referring to them as mezza.

At a local Lebanese restaurant, Bennies in Englewood, NJ, a large platter of these to be shared for 2 to 4 people is called "Mazza" which I assume is derived from "Mezze"

Also from this article (click)

EDIT: Link Fixed

The Lebanese are famous for their mazza, a smorgasbord that includes dishes containing dips made from sesame paste and eggplant or chick peas; a variety of bean dishes; tabuli and fatoush salads; yogurt cheese; olives; stuffed grape leaves and tiny squash; pickled turnips; small pastries filled with spinach, onions, pine nuts, ground lamb or cheese; and baby eggplant stuffed with walnuts, garlic, rice, and chili peppers cured in olive oil. These are accompanied by copious amounts of marqouq, a flat bread that is baked on a gas-fired, inverted wok-like structure that creates a paper-thin loaf, great for scooping up the tasty morsels.

[chefzadi]

At a local Lebanese restaurant, Bennies in Englewood, NJ, a large platter of these to be shared for 2 to 4 people is called "Mazza" which I assume is derived from "Mezze"

Also from this article (click)

The link goes to some sort of tech site.

Also is mazza pronounced with an Italian double "z" sound, if so is it related to Matzah?

[chefzadi]

Nomadic cooking.

What do you want to know?

I'll try to answer. Basically there are Arab Bedouin nomads and Berber nomads.

[Jason Perlow]

Also is mazza pronounced with an Italian double "z" sound, if so is it related to Matzah?

Nah, its "Mah-Zah" the way they pronounce it.

[chefzadi]

A few more notes about the Moors who returned from Andalusia. Some of them were not Arab or Bebers. Some were Jews or Iberians who had converted to Islam. The Moriscos who returned the latest were Moors who had converted to Christianity a little too late to be accepted in Christian Spain so they were expelled anyway.

Many of the Jewish Andalusians settled in Tlemcen. The Moriscos settled in Oran. The identification with Andalusia is quite strong in Oran. Andalusian music influenced Rai greatly. Of course one can still hear the Bedouin flourishes in it and the linguistic patterns.

Edited March 26, 2005 by chefzadi (log)

[chefzadi]

I know Kemia as a Tunisian-Jewish spread of appetizers (meze like but different from the middle east) to drink with alcohol.

Okay, my memory has been loosened. Algerian Jews refer to mezze as kemia. But kemia is no different from mezze here. Of course there are no meat and dairy combinations in kemia. Most of my North African Jewish friends just call it mezze. But I suppose that depends on the context.

I recall that mezze when not served with arak is called something else. Help! I'll do a little research on this.

[Wolfert]

I can't speak for Algeria; I was only there for 10 days three decades ago!

I imagine that the coastal towns had a very sophisticated life style before the revolution. Afterall, there was a huge and diverse foreign communiy established in the cities. When I was there, it was right after the revolution so things were a little messed up.

Tunisian Jews do have a kemia backed happy hour with salted mullet liver (bottargue ), salted nuts, olives, and small tidbits to go with the local fig brandy and anise liquor. I don't remember elaborate mezze style dishes served before a main meal.

Edited March 26, 2005 by Wolfert (log)

[chefzadi]

The Nomads

I mentioned earlier that the nomads in Algeria can roughly be divided into two groups the Arab Bedouins and Berbers (they are composed of various tribes and speak an estimated 300 dialects).

The Bedouins are pastoral nomads, raising sheep, goats and of course camels. Dried dates, milk, yoghurt, flat bread, samna (clarified butter), mutton and goat are the meats of choice. In the Oasis they would get fresh dates, fruit as well as almonds and sugar. Bedouin cooking is very delicate, mild and aromatic. For celebrations whole lamb, sometimes goat. Of course we eat with our fingers.

The Bedouin hospitality is world famous. The guest is not only the honored one, but the protected one as well for three days after leaving a Bedouin home the guest is still considered under the protection of the family with which he dined no matter how far he has traveled away.

Click here and scroll down to download a Bedouin musical flourish. The Rai of Oran incorporates these sounds of the desert.

Tuareg camel caravans played the primary role in trans-Saharan trade until the mid-20th century until the arrival of European cars and trains.The Tuareg are also known as the Blue men. This is because the favor blue clothing which they color with great care using indigo powder. Some of the coloring gets on their skin, giving their skin a blue tint which also functions as sun screen. The Tuareg speak a Berber dialect. And they cook the Berber way.

Many of the nomads of Algeria settled in the mountains or the Oasis towns. I began with the simple cooking of Setif and the Kabylie. This is where you will find Bedouin and Berber cooking, untouched by Ottoman, Moorish and European influences.

100% Bled.

[chefzadi]

Photos of Tuareg in Algeria and other African countries

Desert architecture of the Chaamba Bedouins in Algeria.

Next installment will be Oasis cooking or Algerian Oral Narrative. I haven't decided yet.

[chefzadi]

Mansaf. It's a Bedouin specialty. Okay, I'll take back what I said earlier about Algerians not cooking with yoghurt. This is the only dish that I can think of and I've thought about it alot.

[chefzadi]

Do you see how the Tuareg wear their scarves? That's how I wear mine, the same way my papa, grandfather and great-grand father do (he's still alive! My papa died when I was 7 though).

[chefzadi]

Oasis towns-

We are in Biskra where the Mozabite or Mzab berbers are. They practice an ascetic for of Islam. This is where Paula Wolfert saw the one eyed women, meaning they are completely veiled except for one eye. A stunning site indeed. Biskra is the land of dates, the most luscious dates in the world. They are also famous for there fiery hot lasagnas dishes called Tchakhtchoukha, including one made from lamb’s brains. I have a recipe for one made from ground lamb by a Biskran, maybe this is the version that most of you will try. The same ragouts are also served on very thin crepes. I have no idea why the sauces can be so spicy here. Something to do with trade of couse. Anyway tt’s in strong contrast to the generally mild nature of Amazigh cooking.

Mzab Ghardaia. The French left the Mozabites pretty much alone, because they did not participate in the struggle like the Kabylie’s did. This is another date producing area. I posted a link to Bedouin desert architecture in El Oued upthread.

Mozabite desert architecture

El Golea is a little Eden in the Sahara. Figs, plums, apricots, peaches, cherries and oranges.

Touggourt is another date producing area, over a million trees supplying Algeria with most of it’s dates.

El Oued is the Pearl of the Sahara, it’s the center of a series of Oasis towns called Souf. The Bedouins settled in this area. The cooking here is Bedouin style, you will also find belly dancers here.

Timimoun- Melting pot oasis of Haratine, Zénète Berbers, Chaamba Arabs, as well as Black Africans. The houses are made of red mud in the style of the Sudanese.

Bechar is very close to Morocco, but there isn’t much there of culinary or cultural note.

Benne Abbes is on the edge of the desert. This is where you will find old Sudanese style desert architecture.

Tamanrasett is also called the navel of the Sahara. It’s the largest Tuareg city. Apparently the eating is very good there.

Tassili N'Ajjer, this is where you will find the famous rock paintings.

This site has photos of the Algerian Sahara

After reading this post, would you believe that Algeria also has ski towns and the some of the most beautiful beaches in the Mediterranean?

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?

The West Africans also prepare alot of stews/soups. One pot dishes. The spices in their cooking would have been brought by the Arabs and Berbers. The Black Africans in the Algerian Sahara would have been absorbed into Berber and Arab tribes.

Even in West Africa, some of the flat breads are called "Arab bread".

[Pan]

When I think of West Africa, I definitely think of stews but also of starchy roots and unripe plantains and peanuts (groundnuts).

[chefzadi]

When I think of West Africa, I definitely think of stews but also of starchy roots and unripe plantains and peanuts (groundnuts).

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I know what you mean by starchy roots and plaintains. Oh the peanuts, I had a Senegalese specialty a chicken stew with a lot of peanut butter added in.

The couscous here would be more often be made of grains. If yams are available, they would be boiled and mashed, with samna (clarified butter), shaped into balls perhaps and served with a stew. Plaintains would be boiled, steamed or maybe shallow fried in Samna.

Some scholars think there is a connection between the Almoravids and Mauritania(ns) which I will get into later.

[FoodMan]

hmmm.. th Hummos recipe looks ok to me. I use all these ingredients when I make mine.

Elie

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You add butter to hommos?

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Butter? I was refering to , this recipe. It has no butter.

Elie

[FoodMan]

Mansaf. It's a Bedouin specialty. Okay, I'll take back what I said earlier about Algerians not cooking with yoghurt. This is the only dish that I can think of and I've thought about it alot.

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Chef, what's that? Is it the lamb/rice dish? I know this sounds simplistic but it is really a big deal. I think the whole lamb is cooked along with rice, spices, nuts,....and eaten family-style from a huge platter. I was wondering if that is what you are talking about. If so, where does yogurt come in?

Elie

[chefzadi]

Elie-

That's what I'm talking about. The yoghurt moistens/flavors the rice. There are different methods for this, depending on the cook. Sometime fermented camel milk is used.

[chefzadi]

Algerian Derja, Darja or Dardja-

I’ve already touched upon the oral traditions in Algeria that exist in the various forms of rai or sung poetry. These traditions are an integral part of Algerian derja.

The Imazighen speak Tamazight, there writing system is Tifinagh. Awash is village music performed at village celebrations, marriages, religious (Islamic) celebrations. Sometimes they involve two large choruses engaging in call and response vocals Raiss music on the is performed by professional musicians who incorporate dance and sung poetry that honor Islam. The melodies are often compared to trek in the High Atlas, lot’s of sharp curves, steep drops and dramatic highs. Takfarinas is a popular Algerian Berber pop singer. Modern Rai singers also sing Berber songs, but translated into Arabic.

Sufi music used to inspire a trance state to achieve mystical ecstasy. The instruments are drums and wooden flutes. With repetitive melodies and percussive beat. The audience actively listens sema and the participate to the beat through hand clapping.

There are also war cries. When the Imazighen women of the Kabyle bellowed in unison from the mountain tops at encroaching French soldiers the sounds were thunderous fists from the sky and vehement tears that burned like acid.

Before the French came most Algerian villages had at least one or two schools. They were systematically shut down to make way for French schools. They ban Arabic and Arabic literature. The Francophone push was the most systematic in Algeria than in any other colony. Most Algerians refuse to attend the new schools. The Algerians who had ancient forms of writing are mostly illiterate by the end of French rule. But this does not mean we lost our histoire. Public manifestations of oral narrative/sung poetry may have been forbidden in certain areas.

But our mamans kept the traditions alive. One form of sung poetry is based on how a mother influences her child’s destiny and would be sung at important events, such as birth, circumcision, marriage. Another form was the work poem usually sung at home, these songs were anonymous and passed on from generation to generation. A third type is involves religious blessings and spiritual pilgrimages.

Algerians were cut off from literary Arabic for over 100 years. Dialectical Arabic in Algeria was cut off from modern developments. The French also attempted a “divide and conquer” policy by “favoring” Berbers by giving them privileged access into colonial society, education and employment. After the fall of colonialism there was a (what is acknowledged in hindsight) reactionary push to implement standard Arabic in schools. The problems were manifold. Shortage of teachers for one, alienating the Amazigh is another. Tamazight is now recognized as a national language.

When we speak of the bled it is important to understand that the Chaamba Bedouin and Amazigh are interwoven. Algerian derja has many loan words from Tamzight, most notably in words used for flora and fauna. The Tamazight dialects also borrow from Arabic.

The Spanish loan words brought by the Moors, Andalusians, Spanish occupiers and settlers mostly involve food related words. But the Spanish have a lot of Arabic loan words to describe food. Turkish loan words are usually applied to dishes, types and techniques. French loan words are usually for European things they introduced. Modern standard Arabic borrowings usually cover bureaucracy and formal education.

Next installment, food and cooking.

[chefzadi]

hmmm.. th Hummos recipe looks ok to me. I use all these ingredients when I make mine.

Elie

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You add butter to hommos?

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Butter? I was refering to , this recipe. It has no butter.

Elie

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I was referring to this recipe. Hommos Balila. It has butter.

[chefzadi]

Tunisian Jews do have a kemia backed happy hour with salted mullet liver (bottargue ), salted nuts, olives, and small tidbits to go with the local fig brandy and anise liquor. I don't remember elaborate mezze style dishes served before a main meal.

I wonder if Kemia is a variation of Kemya, whic means small quantity. I suppose the word could then be applied to a small spread of mezze.