Algerian Cuisine

Algerian cooking is less known internationally than its neighbours', but it's among the most varied in North Africa — every region has its own dishes, from the Kabyle mountains to the Sahara to the coast.

Freekeh

Freekeh is green wheat harvested young and burned on the surface to remove the husk, then dried. That burning gives it a distinct smokiness, and it's the base of chorba frik — the first thing on the Algerian iftar table every night of Ramadan.

Chorba

Algerian chorba is heavier than an ordinary soup: meat, chickpeas, tomato, freekeh and coriander, substantial enough to be a meal on its own.

Rechta

Rechta is fine hand-made pasta, steamed and served in a white broth with chickpeas, chicken and turnip — a celebration dish.

Bourek and mhajeb

Bourek is thin pastry filled with meat, chicken or vegetables and fried; mhajeb is a thin semolina dough filled with tomato and onion and cooked on a flat griddle.

The sweets

Algerian Eid sweets are an art in themselves: qalb el louz, baklava, makroud and ghribia, most of them built on almonds, semolina and orange blossom water.