Algerian Cuisine

The Algerian cuisine is distinct from Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisines. It consists of various dishes that represent its several regions. Algerian cuisine was strongly influenced by both the Ottoman Turkish and Berber cultures during their occupation in Algeria.

Due to the influence of the French during their colonisation, people in Algeria eat light breakfast which usually consists of pastries served with Arabic coffee or tea. At noon, street stalls in the cities sell shawarma, a sliced beef, chicken or lamb wrapped in pita bread. During dinner, inhabitants usually eat copiously especially during the month of Ramadan.

Similar to its nearby countries except Tunisia, the influence of the French explains why Algerians have the custom of using knife and fork at the tables and using bare hands is treated impolite.

Algeria produces a wide variety of Mediterranean fruits and vegetables. In some areas of the country, tropical varieties can be produced.

Lamb is the primary meat consumed by Algerians. They do little inshore fishing. However, most Algerians prefer eating other kinds of meat rather than fish.

The khabz is a traditional Arabic flatbread which is considered as the base of Algerian cuisine, because it is often served and eaten at all meals.

The merguez is a principal dish in Algeria. It is a spicy lamb sausage which comes from the Atlas Mountains. It is flavoured with various spices such as paprika and sumac; harissa or Cayenne pepper; and hot chilli paste which gives it a red colour. Traditionally, merguez is made fresh and eaten grilled.

Other common dishes in Algeria are berber couscous, a dish made from coarsely ground durum wheat; chakchouka, a tomato and egg dish; karantita, a thin pizza-like pancake served with harissa and cumin; pastilla, a meat pie made from fledgling pigeons; musakhan, a roasted chicken dish with onions, allspice, sumac, nuts, and saffron; maqluba, an upside-down eggplant and rice casserole; and kanafeh, a vermicelli-like pastry served as dessert. In all these dishes, Algerians use spices in great amounts.

At the end of a meal, sweets as well as seasonal fruits are usually served. Some of the pastries served after meals include asida, nougat and makroudh. Asida is a cooked wheat flour lump of dough, which is similar to porridge or gruel. Nougat is made of honey or sugar with almonds, hazelnuts, pistachios, walnuts or chopped candied fruit. Makroudh is a pastry filled with almonds or dates. Halwa is usually served during the month of Ramadan. They may be flour-based or nut-butter-based cookies sweetened with honey or sugar.

Honey is frequently used in most dishes in Algeria, which makes Algerians the second greatest consumers of honey in the world.

Mint tea is a usual drink during mornings and during ceremonies. It is usually paired with delicious pastries. The serving of mint tea can be in the form of a ceremony, where it is purposely prepared for guests. Moreover, Algerians are noted as heavy coffee consumers and they prefer Arabic coffee. Soft drinks and fruit juices are also common and are consumed by most Algerians.

Historically, Algeria is one of the largest producers of wine during the French colonisation. However, wine manufacturing has significantly reduced after its independence.