Beautiful Algeria

[Wolfert]

Earlier you mentioned Touggourt as another date producing area. I have a wonderful original photograph taken in this town during claypot market dayin 1924 by Lehnert and Landrock. Notice the couscous bowls with their huge holes!.

The spelling of kemia probably could be kemya as well. YOu know these transliterated words can drive one crazy!

As for the Tunisian kemia (kemya) table, you can't get any smaller than olives, nuts and a few slices of mullet bottarga.

I haven't been to Morocco in some time, but the kemia\kemya practice was unknown years ago. If you arrived early for a meal you usually were given sweets and tea!

Back in the 50' 60' and 70's, a Moroccan wouldn't be served an alcoholic drink if wearing traditional clothes!

Edited March 29, 2005 by Wolfert (log)

[chefzadi]

Back in the 50' 60' and 70's, a Moroccan wouldn't be served an alcholic drink if wearing traditional clothes!

But he could get hashish.

[chefzadi]

Ingredients in Algerian cooking

I think that most if not all of the ingredients are familiar. I’m writing this off the top of my head, so I might be missing a few ingredients. You don’t need all or even most of these ingredients to start cooking bled style. It would be rare to find all of these ingredients in an Algerian household, except for a chef who’s writing a cookbook.

Remember when you are cooking Algerian food you are creating your own rai.

Flours, Grains and pastas

Semolina fine and medium grind

All purpose flour

Semolina couscous

Berkoukes

Vermicelli

Orzo

(we also make fresh pastas from Semolina and Barley flour)

Long grain rice

Barley (cracked whole and flour)

Millet

Bulghur Wheat

Corn

Fava Beans

Chick Peas

White Beans (Haricot Blanc or Great Northern)

Brown lentils

Meats

Lamb

Goat (rare)

Poultry and fowl

Beef

Camel (very rarely eaten)

Fish and seafood

Sardines

Tuna

Anchovies

Squid

Shellfish

(most fish from the Mediterranean, but the fishing industry is underdeveloped)

Vegetables

Greens - including chard, spinach, etc.

Fresh Fava Beans

Fennel

Cucumber

Carrot

Okra

Onion

Beet

Turnip

Eggplant

Zucchini

Tomato

Bell Pepper

Hot peppers

Squash

Sweet Potato

Potatoes

Cardoons

Artichokes

Onions

Garlic

Fruits

Apple

Apricot

Cherry

Date

Fig

Mango (fairly recent)

Melon – many varieties

Peach

Pomegranate

Quince

Pears

Blood orange

Sweet orange (Valencia, clementine)

Bitter orange

Lemon

Limoun (cross between a lemon and a lime, used fresh and preserved in salt)

Seeds and nuts

Almonds

Hazelnuts

Pistachios

Walnuts,

Pine nuts

Sesame seeds

Melon seeds

Sunflower seeds

Spices

Cinnamon

Coriander seeds

Cumin

Saffron

Turmeric

Ginger

Peppercorns white and black

Cayenne

Sweet paprika

Anise seed

Allspice

Caraway

Cloves

Fennel

Fenugreek

Cubeb pepper

Long pepper

Malagueta pepper

Guinea pepper

Sumac

Herbs

Flat leaf Parsley

Fresh Coriander

Marjoram

Mint

Basil

Vervain

Za'atar

Beverages:

Mint tea and other herbal teas

Tisanes

Coffee

Almond Milk

Sesame Milk

Buttermilk or lebn it doesn’t taste like American buttermilk. I prefer Kefir in the States.

Syrup or fruit drinks made form citrus fruits, watermelon, apricot, pomegranate, tamarind, mint and almond syrup.

Butter

Samneh

Smen

Yogurt

Labna (yoghurt cheese)

Fresh cheeses (Algerian cheese is apparently hard to find even in Algeria now. Middle Eastern white cheese or Ricotta can be substituted).

Flower waters

Orange Flower or Orange Blossom Water

Rose Water

Jasmine Flowers

EDIT: Olive oil, olives, chick pea flour, nutmeg, nigella seeds, cardamom

DOUBLE EDIT: Basil seeds and cured lamb fat.

TRIPLE EDIT: Battarakh, cured fish roe.

I know there are a few other things I'm forgetting....

Edited March 29, 2005 by chefzadi (log)

[Wolfert]

QUOTE

Back in the 50' 60' and 70's, a Moroccan wouldn't be served an alcoholic drink if wearing traditional clothes!

chef zadi: But he could get hashish.

At that time it was legal to smoke hashish, but not to buy it or sell it. I don't know what the law is now.

My point was that alcoholic drinks and kemia or mezzes were not part of the culture at that time . Small bites with a drink before the meal simply didn't exist in traditional homes.

I know these two items just skipped your mind--- olives and olive oil.

Edited March 29, 2005 by Wolfert (log)

[FaustianBargain]

chefzadi, under herbs, what is Vervain?

[Pan]

chefzadi, under herbs, what is Vervain?

←

Verbena.

[chefzadi]

Algerian Pasta dishes

I was initially planning on beginning with Algerian breads, but my wife and I have been exchanging emails with our friend Hassan and I really want to share his mother’s recipe for Barley pasta with fava been puree along with Kabylie smen. His maman makes it the same way my maman does, neither uses herbs.

It is widely accepted that the North African Arab Sarecens introduced pasta secca to Sicily. In Algeria fresh pasta is made from semolina flour as well as barley, millet, kamut. and cornmeal. Fresh pasta shapes are small postage stamp size squares, sheets for lasagne type preparations, strips of varying thickness and berkoukes. Dried pasta shapes include vermicelli (usually added to soups or for dessert preparations), orzo and berkoukes are often used interchangeably (added to soups, topped with tomato sauce or lamb ragout).

[chefzadi]

"Thaboubtheth"

Kabylie (Imazighen) Style Barley Pasta with Fava bean puree

This is considered a winter dish. Of course I don’t have the measurements off hand. But it is very simple.

Ingredients for the Pasta

Barley flour

Water

Salt

Ingredients for the Fava Bean Puree

Baby Fava Beans

Small Onion, finely chopped

Crushed Basil Seeds

Cayenne or Parprika to taste

Salt and Pepper to taste

Tablespoon of Olive Oil

Cured Lamb Fat (substitute with smen or butter)

Method for Baby Fava Bean Puree

Place fava beans in a pot, cover with water. Add remaining ingredients. Cook until very soft, gently mash with a spoon to create a textured puree.

Method for Barley Pasta

(I have not tried this with American Barley flour. I will have to test it of course before adding it to my book. If you decide to try this and the dough isn’t elastic enough you add semolina flour). Place the barley flour in a large bowl, add salt and slowly add a little water until the flour comes together to form a ball. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 15 minutes. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin until very thin. The trick to rolling out dough evenly is to put pressure on the ends of the pin and not in the center. Cut the pasta into 1” squares and steam in a couscousier or a pot with a steamer insert for 15-20 minutes.

To serve:

Plate the pasta, drizzle with Olive Oil (You would not believe how fruity and thick Algerian olive oil is) and top with the Fava Bean Puree

Next installment Kabylie style smen.

[chefzadi]

Kabylie Amazigh Smen

This version contains no herbs or spices.

Ingredients:

Ideally freshly churned butter from sheep’s milk

Fleur de Sel

1 tsp of salt per cup of butter.

Knead the salt into the butter, then roll the butter into balls the size of ping pong balls. Place the butter in a clean ceramic pot. We use a Korean eathern ware pot for this (these are easier to find in LA than Berber containers ). Cover with pot with cheese cloth and secure with string or a rubberband. Place the container in a dry, temperate place for 2-3 weeks. Yes the milk solids will ferment. Clarify the fermented butter and strain into a clean, sterilized container. We never refrigerated smen. But you can if you want to.

Bedouin clarified butter from unfermented butter is simply called samneh or samna.

Next installment basic fresh pasta dough...

Questions are welcomed of course.

[chefzadi]

Algerian Fresh Semolina Pasta "Rougag"

2 cups of fine semolina flour

1/2 cup plus a bit more if necessary of water

salt

Place the flour and a teaspoon or so of salt in a large bowl, slowly add the water (not all), begin working the water into the flour, add a little bit more water if necessary. Knead untill smooth and elastic. At least 15 minutes. Cover the dough with plastic and let it rest for half an hour. Divide the dough into two pieces, roll out into thin sheets as for lasagna.

You'll find that fresh semolina pasta has a distinctive flavor from dried durum wheat pasta. It has a natural touch of sweetness and a delicate nutty flavor.

Next sauces...

Edited March 30, 2005 by chefzadi (log)

[Jake]

chefzadi, these sound very intriguing.....can't wait to hear about sauces! The fresh semolina pasta looks like something simple and easy to put together for dinner one evening.

[chefzadi]

Algerian pasta sauces will vary depending on the region.

Meat ragouts- usually lamb, these can be very delicately flavored or fiery hot with a range of spices. Usually for steamed pasta sheets, berkoukes or thick cuts of pasta (think of paparedelle size)

Vegetable ragouts- usually served with berkoukes or orzo

Tomato based sauces- Along the coast these often times include shellfish, usually prawns. They can be quite simple with just fresh tomatoes, garlic and basla (basil) or they can be hot with peppers and a range of spices.

I already mentioned the baby fava bean sauce, haricots blanc could be substituted with the addition of garlic.

Braise fennel would be another sauce. It must be slow cooked untill meltingly tender.

I'll post a couple of recipes in a bit.

[FoodMan]

question about the very interesting Kabylie Amazigh Smen. Why roll it into balls if you are going to melt it eventually? Does it aid fermentation? Where do you get sheeps milk butter? I guess three questions .

Elie

[chefzadi]

question about the very interesting Kabylie Amazigh Smen. Why roll it into balls if you are going to melt it eventually? Does it aid fermentation? Where do you get sheeps milk butter? I guess three questions .

Elie

←

It's rolled into balls to aid air circulation, greater surface area exposure. The fermentation is more even. You get sheep's milk butter by churning fresh sheep's milk on my family's farm in Setif. I've not seen sheep's milk in the States, let alone butter. Freshly churned butter from Goat's milk, which is available in the States, would be great as well and very "authentic." My wife is planning on a smen experiment using Plugra and Land 'o' Lakes which are widely available. I will post the results.

I also want to add that spices and herbs can be added during the initial salting and kneading process.

[chefzadi]

Berkoukes bel lham

Berkoukes with meat ragout

Berkoukes bel Djaj is very similar to the Chicken Maghrebiya discussed in the couscous thread.

In Algeria lamb would be used but you can substitute ground beef or veal. Your choice of meat and your personal tastes should dictate the seasonings and aromatics you use.

Basic recipe:

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic finely minced

1 pound ground lamb (leg or shoulder meat)

salt and freshly ground pepper

1/2 pound of fresh tomatoes

1/4 cup of tomato paste

Method:

Saute the onions and garlic in the olive oil in a large pot untill translucent, add the lamb, brown for about 10 minutes on medium heat, add the tomatoes and tomato paste and about 1 cup of water. Cover and cook on low for about 1 hour. Serve on berkoukes.

To make Tchakhchouka Biskra prepare Rougag with about a pound of semolina. Roll into thin sheets (I've seen people do this by hand with no rolling pin) and quickly cook in a hot saute pan. For about 20-30 seconds on each side, it should be cooked but very soft and pliable. (another option is to steam the rougag). To the basic lamb ragu above you will want to add 1 large potatoes, 1 medium zucchini, 1/2 cup of chick peas, cumin, caraway, cayenne pepper. and maybe a few pinches of ras el hanout.

Tchakhchouka Biskra. To serve, tear the cooked rougag crepes into 2" pieces, scatter on a plate and spoon the ragu into the center.

You could also add herbs to the basic ragu recipe, such as zaatar or flat leaf parsley.

[chefzadi]

Earlier you mentioned Touggourt as another date producing area. I have a wonderful original photograph taken in this town during claypot market dayin 1924 by Lehnert and Landrock. Notice the couscous bowls with their huge holes!.

The spelling of kemia probably could be kemya as well. YOu know these transliterated words can drive one crazy!

Beautiful photo.

I'm sure kemia and kemya are the same.

[chefzadi]

Slow cooked fennel sauce for Algerian Pasta.

1/2 cup olive oil

2 fenell bulbs, sliced (you can include the fronds, depending on how much you appreciate the flavor of fennel)

2 cloves of garlic

Salt and pepper

1 cup water

This sauce is a compote of sorts, the fennel is cooked untill it is meltingly soft. 1- 1 1/2 hours at least. To serve spoon over pasta.

It just occured to me that I have been posting more winter dishes. Certainly not in keeping with the sunshine we have in LA at the moment. I will post more season appropriate recipes a little later today.

[Wolfert]

I didn't want to detract from chef zadi's fabulous on-going forum on Algerian cooking, but he suggested the following description and above posted photos might be of interest to everyone.

So here goes:Close to the Algerian border inTunisia in the town of Jendouba , I photographed the production of the very bread dish ChefZadi described upthread.

A ten layer bread known as chakhchoukhet is made then torn apart to make a very similar dish with a savory stew poured on top.

I watched a woman make a semolina bread dough working in extra water until it became elastic and smooth, then dividing the ball of dough into three smooth cylinders.

She took hold of the first cylinder and squeezed it until a perfect apricot-sized ball of dough popped out between her curved forefinger and thumb. She continued to produce balls of the same size until all the dough was used up.

With oiled fingers she created a series of 8-inch flat disks of dough.

She then placed the first on a heated earthenware griddle to cook. After half a minute she flipped it. Having, meantime, flattened a second ball, she laid the second uncooked disk on the first cooked disk, waited a few minutes, then flipped the two together. This continued until 10 disks were cooked creating in effect a ten layer bread.

She set it aside in a skillet (see the second photo) while finishing two more stacks. After creating all 3 stacks, everyone in the family goes into action, while the bread is still hot to the touch.

We proceeded to tear apart each stack into little 1-inch pieces, which we tossed into a bowl . The cook then poured a savory stew of chicken and tomato, flavored with garlic and spices on top. It was wonderful.

Edited April 1, 2005 by Wolfert (log)

[archestratus]

Sorry I’ve come late to this fascinating discussion, but I visit infrequently. I noticed somewhere a comment by chefzadi about my book A Mediterranean Feast (William Morrow, 1999) and some posting on my web site www.cliffordawright.com. Unfortunately, I can’t find it again so I don’t know if I’m responding to the right thing. But concerning the mixing of butter and cinnamon in couscous in Algeria: so much of my sources on modern Algeria comes from Algerian friends, and especially the ones who cook. The friend who told me that about couscous was interestingly from Setif. It was confirmed by another friend from Tlemcen. But their generalized comments may very well have been misplaced especially if they were talking about how their families did it rather than a larger population.

Anyway, below are some commments I’df like to make based on the entire history of the thread.

“The provinces of Algeria are called Wilaya.”

This word wilaya derives from the Turkish vilayet which, although it is originally an Arabic word, is what the Ottoman provinces were called, adminstered by a vali. This is menitoned to confirm the Turkish influence more so than the Arab as mentioned elsewhere.

“Berbers developed the art of couscous.”

I would like to refer readers to http://www.cliffordawright.com/history/couscous_history.html on the history of couscous where I delved into this question in some depth. (This is from my A Mediterranean Feast). Note that the fact that the name (couscous) is given with the Arabic article al- is a flag to the linguist that the original couscous preparation probably was not an Arab dish, but a Berber dish, because the Arabic words siksu, kuskus, and kusksi, which all mean “couscous,” do not take the article.

There is little in the way of archeological evidence of early use of couscous, mainly because the kiskis was probably a basket made from organic material set over a marmite-like terracotta bottom vessel and never survived. Some shards of a marmite-like vessel have been found in the medieval Muslim stratum at Chellala in Algeria, but the dating is difficult.

On Red Beard:

Better known as Barbarossa, the infamous pirate, I refer readers to the section “Pirates” beginning on page 455 of my A Mediterranean Feast. He wasn’t Turkish, but Greek, who took the name Khayr al-Din, and who became known as Barbarossa by Western Europeans.

On seviche:

In the entry “ceviche” (or seviche) Alan Davidson in his Oxford Companion to Food claims that the word derives from the Latin. This is incorrect. Ceviche or seviche is nothing but a Mediterranean method of preserving raw fish. The Latin American Spanish word seviche or ceviche comes from the Iberian Spanish escabeche, also called schebbeci in Sicily, a word that means “marinated fish.” The Arabs ruled both Spain and Sicily for centuries, and as a result the word escabeche can be traced to the dialectal Arabic word iskibaj, which the great lexicographer Joan Corominas of the University of Chicago describes as deriving from the older sikbâj, meaning “a kind of meat with vinegar and other ingredients.” For a long critical review of Oxford Companion I refer readers to my forthcoming critique in the next issue of the scholarly journal Food and Foodways.

“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.”

This is an excellent point and is, in a way, the central theme of A Mediterranean Feast, in other words “what goes around comes around.”

On the French influence on Algerian cooking:

I would like to add, salads, especially salads with lettuce.

The following is from A Mediterranean Feast. I would be pleased to hear any criticisms or corrections offered by readers. [i have removed all diacriticals from Arabic words. This piece has endnotes which I have not included; to see the end notes please see the book]

The Intricacies of Algerian Cuisine

Algerian food is characterized by the interplay of European and Arab influences. The shakhshukha, barraniyya, couscous, and skewered foods are inherited from the Arabs, Berbers, and Turks, whereas the soups, mixed salads, and some desserts are European influenced. The group of dishes known as shakhshukha are vegetables cooked with lots of eggs stirred into them. They derive from a Turkish dish made with bell peppers, onions, and eggs called saksuka. The category of dishes known as barraniyya are breaded or floured vegetables or meat that are fried with oil and cooked in a sauce. The word barraniyya comes from the Arabic root word meaning “to surround.” Another group of dishes are cooked a la “shatitha,” a word that means “that which dances,” implying that the sauce is so piquant it makes the food jump in your mouth or that it jumps in the skillet, since it is cooked like a fricassee.

The two main cooking methods in Algerian cuisine are simmering and braising, although the others, such as boiling and grilling are, of course, used also. Two kinds of sauces are used, maraqat hamra, red sauce, and maraqat bayda’, white sauce. Sauces are not usually made separate from the meal, as they are in French cuisine. Some sauces use aghda, an emulsifier or binding agent made from finely chopped egg whites and other ingredients. The Algerian white sauces are not the same as classic French sauces for they do not contain milk. They can be differentiated into three kinds. First, the white sauce that is called “white sauce”, maraqat bayda’, that is made with a base of butter or oil and seasoned with onion, black pepper, cinnamon, ginger, saffron, or turmeric, is used with couscous or meat cooked with vegetables. The maraqat hilwa, or sweet sauce, is also made from butter and seasoned with cinnamon, saffron, and honey or sugar and is used for sweet dishes. The third white sauce, muhammar, or roasting sauce (although it’s derived from the Arabic word for red), is a butter- or samna-based sauce seasoned with onion, cinnamon sticks, and saffron and is used for roasting or spit-roasting meats. Among the red sauces is maraqat hamra, red sauce, with a base of red bell peppers seasoned with black pepper, salt, and cinnamon, which is used for meat, offal, couscous, and vegetables. Maraqa bi’l-tumatish is Algerian-style tomato sauce with a base of tomatoes, onions, and garlic seasoned with black pepper and cumin. It is typically used with fish, meat, and on pasta, rice, fried fish, and French fried potatoes. Shatitha (that which dances), is also a word that means red pepper; it is a hot chili sauce seasoned with garlic, caraway, and cumin, and is used for fish and meat. The fourth of the red sauces is the musharmala, which is also a highly seasoned sauce for fish or meat, but more so, and contains vinegar or lemon juice. In each of these sauces the cook seasons in accordance with his or her own taste using a variety of other herbs or spices.

In eastern Algeria, one finds hot red pepper sauces and sweets made with honey or dates. In the central part of Algeria, white sauces and breaded or floured fried meats are found along with desserts made with almonds, such as maqrud, lozenge-shaped pieces of semolina and almonds. In the west, veloute sauces that are slightly sweet predominate. The two great culinary centers of Algeria are Constantine and Tlemcen, which was influenced by Muslim-Andalusi. Other major culinary centers are Algiers, Bejaia, Sétif, and Oran. A favorite Algerian spice is cayenne pepper, a New World spice, while other common spices in Algerian cuisine are black pepper, cumin, ginger, fennel, caraway, aniseed, wild parsley, mint, cinnamon, and cloves. Many dishes involve long simmering.

The culinary complexity of Algeria is like that of Italy, but because of its remoteness for many Westerners, not to mention the terroristic civil war that erupted in the early 1990s and targeted foreigners, very little is known about Algerian cuisine. There are fascinating preparations that I have only heard about--for example, the Algerian dish of cumin- and saffron-rubbed whole lamb shoulder wrapped in cheesecloth and placed in the upper portion of a couscousiere where it is steamed for a day. My friend Nacim Zeghlache described a dish from Sétif of semolina balls stuffed with minced onions and cooked in a sauce of onions and tomatoes, but a man who lived in a village thirteen miles away had never seen or heard of it and asked if the semolina balls grew on trees. Also near Sétif, in the high plains where wheat is grown, farmers store their hard wheat in silos. After a while the wheat adhering to the walls begins to ferment and the farmers’ wives scrape it off and cook it. They call this silo-scraped fermented wheat mashruwwbat, the plural of the word for alcoholic refreshment, and its odor is curiously similar to that of Gruyere cheese, which may be not too far-fetched an explanation for the popularity of that Swiss cheese in Algiers. As far as cheese goes, the people of the Maghrib do not have a large repertoire of cheeses, although they do have high-quality white cheeses such as a soft Algerian cheese with an artichoke heart in the middle.

Couscous is a staple food. Masfuf is an Algerian-style couscous that is steamed over broth. Little bits of carrots and peas are sauteed separately in butter and turn into the steamed couscous. Algerians are also fond of couscous with curdled milk. A larger couscous grain is known as burkukis, what the Tunisians call muhammas, basically a pasta ball.

Algerian seafood cookery is found along the coast. The catch is small, but the little that is caught is excellently prepared, the most common fish being the gilt-head bream. Sardines and grouper are also popular.

On mazza, mezze, and kemia (kimia or kimiya):

all the same thing. Mazza and mezze are simply two different transliterations of the same word. Kemia is what some Algerians have told me is the Algerian version of mazza: it’s curious that chefzadi hasn’t heard the word. One reason might be that those Algerians I spoke with were using a dialect word or it comes from a particular community, such as the Jews. On the other hand, he’s right in saying that Algerians know it as meze. Even in America many cosmopolitans are familiar with meze.

On falafel:

the Copts of Egypt claim falafel as their own, but no one knows the true origins. I’ve never seen falafel west of Egypt.

On the Blue men of the desert, the Touaregs.

By all means visit the web site link for photos that chefzadi provided, http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/imag...fr=FP-tab-web-t

because the photos there are excellent. I was going to post my photos of my time with the Touaregs in Timbuktu (and I will one of these days) but these are really quite good. A famous Touareg preparation is alabadja, a shredded lamb stewed in butter and served with rice.

On mansaf: 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 a lot.

It is indeed a Bedouin speciality, but of the Bedouins of Palestine and Jordan, not Algeria, who probably imported in from the Mashraq.

“They are also famous for there fiery hot lasagnas dishes called Tchakhtchoukha, including one made from lamb’s brains. “ See my recipe at http://www.cliffordawright.com/recipes/shak_al_bis.html

The question by Foodman concerning mansaf:

“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?”

See my recipe on p. 244 A Mediterranean Feast

Paula Wolfert: “YOu know these transliterated words can drive one crazy!”

Here is excerpted what I had to say in an appendix in A Mediterranean Feast:

The transliteration of Arabic words and names is frought with difficulty. There is no standardized system outside the world of professional linguists and historians, so spellings can become quite inventive. I have followed the system used by Middle East historians as codified in the International Journal of Middle East Studies system, which has supplanted the Encyclopaedia of Islam system-- namely, qaf = “q” not “k” nor “k[subdot]”; ji[macron]m = “j” not “dj”; the “l” of al- is not assimilated to the following consonant; ta marbuta = “a” not “ah.” Well-known names, though, are left in their familiar English transliterations, for example, “tabbouleh” rather than “tabbu[macron]la,” except for egregious transliterations (for example, mulu[macron]khiyya, not “meloukia”).

Another problem faced by the food writer is that native Arabic speakers who have written cookbooks have often mistransliterated words, sometimes inventing their own spellings to be picked up by Western writers, therefore all spellings were counterchecked against Wehr and Dozy (see Bibliography of “Mediterranean Feast”). When a word does not appear in standard dictionaries, I have tried to consult a native of that country. Words or names that are not fusha (from the written language) I have tried to spell the way they are pronounced. The transliterations of all Arabic words in A Mediterranean Feast follow this system and can be considered authoritative in the sense of IJMES system.

[chefzadi]

I cannot believe that I am engaged in a dialogue with Paula Wolfert and Clifford Wright! I think of myself as a cook/chef and a cooking instructor. I spent a good year consciously working on my English speaking skills before even beginning my teaching career. I started off with the lab and demo classes, now I'm even doing lectures.

But this is incredible! Talking about food history with two highly respected voices on North African/ Mediterranean cooking.

Funny thing is when I was in school my teacher wrote "He cannot sit in front of a computer. It makes him crazy."

[chefzadi]

My friend Nacim Zeghlache described a dish from Sétif of semolina balls stuffed with minced onions and cooked in a sauce of onions and tomatoes, but a man who lived in a village thirteen miles away had never seen or heard of it and asked if the semolina balls grew on trees. Also near Sétif, in the high plains where wheat is grown, farmers store their hard wheat in silos. After a while the wheat adhering to the walls begins to ferment and the farmers’ wives scrape it off and cook it. They call this silo-scraped fermented wheat mashruwwbat, the plural of the word for alcoholic refreshment, and its odor is curiously similar to that of Gruyere cheese, which may be not too far-fetched an explanation for the popularity of that Swiss cheese in Algiers

Typical Setifienne sense of humour. You know we laugh untill we are crying. I'm sure you've noticed this with your friends.

On mazza, mezze, and kemia (kimia or kimiya):

all the same thing. Mazza and mezze are simply two different transliterations of the same word. Kemia is what some Algerians have told me is the Algerian version of mazza: it’s curious that chefzadi hasn’t heard the word. One reason might be that those Algerians I spoke with were using a dialect word or it comes from a particular community, such as the Jews. On the other hand, he’s right in saying that Algerians know it as meze. Even in America many cosmopolitans are familiar with meze

Kemia didn't initially ring a bell with me. I had to think about it because I haven't heard it used for mezze that often, very rarely a long, long time ago.

Another problem faced by the food writer is that native Arabic speakers who have written cookbooks have often mistransliterated words, sometimes inventing their own spellings to be picked up by Western writers, therefore all spellings were counterchecked against Wehr and Dozy (see Bibliography of “Mediterranean Feast”). When a word does not appear in standard dictionaries, I have tried to consult a native of that country. Words or names that are not fusha (from the written language) I have tried to spell the way they are pronounced. The transliterations of all Arabic words in A Mediterranean Feast follow this system and can be considered authoritative in the sense of IJMES system.

I find this to be more so with English transliterations. In France it seems to be more consistent. Good to know that there is a system like the IJMES.

I was going to post my photos of my time with the Touaregs in Timbuktu

Please post those photos.

[chefzadi]

I didn't want to detract from chef zadi's fabulous on-going forum on Algerian cooking, but he suggested the following description and above posted photos might be of interest to everyone.

Thank you Paula.

They are of interest to me as well. You are a vastly superior writer than I am. I just happened to be born to Algerian parents. But you have studied and lived North Africa much more than I have.

[Wolfert]

Thankyou for your very kind words.

I think we all have something to learn about North African cooking.

Personally, I am learning lots from your series. Please continue.....

And, I always learn something fascinating when reading Clifford's works.

Edited April 2, 2005 by Wolfert (log)

[Jake]

May I chime in and thank you all, chefzadi, Paula, Clifford Wright. For those of us that know next to nothing about North African cooking and culture other than having tasted some wonderful dishes, this is a fabulous topic. A course in it's own right.....and where else but eG! Thank you all, I am following this thread faithfully, and learning so much.

[chefzadi]

More Algerian pasta sauces-

I mentioned earlier that there are regional variations in names for dishes. But there are attempts to sort of standardize names of some dishes by describing the primary elements of dishes. Often times these names don't offer much descriptive information on method of cooking.

Short vocabulary lesson

El m'hasa be tomatiche= small berkoukes with tomato sauce

Berkoukes bel tomatiche= berkoukes with tomato sauce

Maqaroun bel tomatiche= Dried pasta (if you were thinking macaroni you're correct, but it also means general dried pasta) with tomato sauce

Rrechta bel tomatiche= Noodles (tagliatelle to paparedelle size) with tomato sauce

Badenjal= Eggplant

Fennel=Besbas

Fava beans=Foul

Cardoons=Korchef

Courgettes=Karaa

Green peas= Djelbana

Lhem= meat

Khodra= vegetables

Djaj= chicken

Osbane= tripe

The tomato sauces would be similar to Italian tomato sauces. Spices and peppers may be added. Cayenne, paprika and cumin especially. Herbs could include coriander leaf, flat leaf parsely, zaatar, marjoram and basil. I think that basil might be added to tomato sauces along the coast. I don't think of the herb as something that is used for cooking outside of the coast. Seafood might be added, usually prawns. Which can be cooked in the sauce, boiled or grilled seperately.

Vegetable sauces and ragouts- I already mentioned the slow cooked fennel. Possible combinations includ but are not limited to:

1. Cardoons, fennel and onions (slow cooked, no spices)

2. Eggplant, tomatoes, sweet peppers, courgettes, garlic, onions. (with or without spices, herbs and hot peppers).

Berkoukes bel Osbane is a red sauce made with tripe.

I already mentioned meat ragouts, but meatballs find their way into sauces as well.

Vermicelli and Orzo are also common shapes found in Algeria, but they are usually added to soups Chorbas and Ahiras. Berkoukes are also added to soups. Vermicelli finds it's way into sweets as well.