Mint tea

Couscous, a semolina-like pasta made from cracked wheat, is a staple food in Algeria and throughout North Africa. It is a versatile starch that goes equally well with meat, fish, vegetables, or sweet dishes. Rice is also a popular staple, and chickpea-cakes make a cheap and tasty accompaniment for food. Pizza, fried chicken, and potato fries are popular among younger Algerians.

Traditional Algerian food shows the historic influences of Berber, Arab, Turkish, and French tastes. It can be mild or very spicy and many flavourings are used, including cumin, coriander, paprika, cinnamon, mint, and fennel.

Stews like shakshuka, with vegetables, and tajine, with lamb or chicken, are popular everyday dishes. Meat dishes are often prepared with some of the many different fruits grown in fertile parts of Algeria. Sugar or honey can be added to savoury dishes to create a sweet-and-sour taste.

As in much of North Africa and the Middle East, refreshing, golden-coloured mint tea and strong, sweet coffee (sometimes called Turkish coffee) are drunk wherever people gather to talk and relax. Lively pavement-cafés, central to social life in Algerian towns and cities, are another legacy of French rule.

The traditional diet of desert nomads is based on couscous and the meat of the sheep or goats they herd. When travelling, desert people carry pressed dates or figs, and hard cheese, which keeps for a long time. Flat, unleavened (yeastless) bread can be baked in the hot embers of camp-fires. Hot, sugary mint tea quenches thirst and boosts energy.

Ingredients

• ¾ litre of boiling water (keep boiling on a low heat)
• 1 heaped tbsp of loose green tea (or 2 bags)
• 1 small cup of sugar
• 1 cup of young mint leaves, crushed
• 3-4 young mint leaves for garnish

Warm the pot with a little boiling water, and then pour the water away. Place the tea in the pot and add ¼ litre (about I cup) of boiling water. Allow to stand for 3 minutes. Place the crushed mint and the sugar in the pot. Add the rest of the boiling water. Cover the pot and allow it to stand for 5 minutes. Using a strainer, pour the tea into small cups (or, traditionally, heat-proof glasses).

Turkish coffee (approximate quantities for ½ litre)

Ingredients

• 2-3 tbsp of very finely-ground rich coffee
• 4 heaped tsp of sugar (or to taste)
• Optional: 3 cardamom seeds, OR one sprig of coriander, OR two tsp. rosewater

(To make really authentic ‘Turkish’ coffee you need a narrow-topped pot that can be heated on a stove. Pots like this are used to make coffee in the most expensive restaurants and on desert camp-fires. You can use any heat-proof pot, but be careful.)

Fill the pot with about ½ litre of water and place it on the heat. As the water begins to heat up, add the sugar, stir, and then top up with the coffee. When the water boils, let it begin to foam, but quickly reduce the heat before the coffee boils over. Repeat this three times. Remove from the heat and add any optional flavouring. Allow the coffee to cool for a minute, then pour it into small cups.

Turkish coffee should be sipped slowly, and enjoyed with friends.

Couscous with chicken broth (Serves 4)

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• I medium-sized onion, chopped
• 250g mushrooms, sliced
• 1 chopped carrot
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped or crushed
• ½ tsp cumin
• ½ tsp coriander seeds, ground
• Zest of 1 lemon, grated
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 cups of chicken stock or clear chicken broth (or vegetable stock)
• Roughly-chopped coriander leaves for garnish
• 500g couscous
• salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a large, flat pan. Add the chopped vegetables, coriander seeds and cumin, and cook gently for about 5 minutes. Add the couscous, lemon zest, and raisins. Stir until the ingredients are coated. Add all the stock and the lemon juice. Simmer for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat, cover, and allow to cool for 3 minutes. Add salt and pepper, sprinkle with the chopped coriander, and gently stir with a fork before serving.

If you wish, you can add a little chilli to this recipe.

Photo by James Hawkins/Oxfam