Algeria has been argued to be the world’ best secret foodie country. According to an ancient saying in Algeria, ‘Serr tnin ya’rfouh alfin’, which means when a secret is disclosed to two people, it will be revealed to thousands. The restaurateurs from Algeria who live abroad often call their businesses as ‘Moroccan restaurants.’ The truth is if you have eaten in a Moroccan eateries outside Morocco, it may mean that you have tasted the Algerian cuisine.
The Algerians share the same influences, characteristics and typical ingredients of Morocco while cooking, that they forget that they have their special style of cooking.
The local cuisine has been shaped over the years by the complex cultural heritage of the people. We have listed some of the things you can eat if you are coming to Algeria:
Baghrir
Baghrir is a pancake made from spongy semolina. It is the best meal you can take for the day if you are ffrom the league of sweet tooth. The hot pancake is doused thoroughly with honey, then sprinkled with softened raisins and almonds.
Sfenj
For those who love deep fried, they may go for sfenj, which is a puffy and robust dough ring. Some visitors have mistaken it for donuts. It is crunchier than the donuts we see in the United States of America. You can add dip sfenj in honey or dust it n sugar. Breakfast is sweet when you order for it.
Couscous with vegetables
We all know how couscous tastes. That is what we think until we tasted Algerian couscous. The couscous we ate in Algeria was prepared by steaming slowly over a pot of stew. Oiled palms are rubbed in between each slow session of steaming to help separate every fuffy grain. It is accompanied with vegetables, meat or chicken stew.
Mechoui
You will surely love Mechoui. No one eats this dish that is made from an entire lamb, that is slowly roasted that will want to miss it again. The skin is always crispy because it is well cooked and the meat easily fails off from the bone. When you eat it, it melts with a buttery fullness in your mouth.
Pasta
We will tell you to forget about pasta taste you are familiar with when you are in Algeria. Algerian pasta is prepared like a couscous and it is not boiled in salt water. The sauce flavours are soaked up during the preparation. They are served with meat or chicken broth with boiled egg and chickpeas. There are variety of this pasta in the country because they far from one region to another.
Step out of what you know about food and try some of Algerian cuisine. There are many meals you can choose from like the Bouzellouf , Osbane, and kourdass (section of lamp that is stuffed with pieces of lung, intestines and lace fat.
Bouzellouf is prepared in such a way that it will marvel you. It is one of those meals that you eat and the taste never leave you. You will crave for it even while you are long gone from Algeria
