Food and Drink Guide to Algeria: Wetin You Go Chop and Drink

Algeria for plate

Algerian cooking mix Berber, Arab, Ottoman and French style, e dey stand on wheat, olive oil, lamb and sharp spices. Chop dey plenty, e dey social and e dey slow small, especially for Friday afternoon.

Signature dishes

• Couscous na the national dish, steamed semolina wey dem put lamb or chicken, chickpeas and vegetables for light broth on top. Friday na couscous day for most house.
• Chorba frik na tomato-based soup wit cracked green wheat (frik) and lamb, na the common starter wey dem take break fast for Ramadan.
• Rechta na thin homemade noodles wit chicken and white turnip-and-chickpea sauce, e classic for Algiers.
• Chakhchoukha wey come from di highlands, dem go tear flatbread put am inside spicy lamb and tomato stew.
• Mhajeb na stuffed semolina flatbread wey dem fill wit onion and tomato, dem dey sell am everywhere for small dinar.

Street food and small chops

• Karantika (dem still call am garantita) na baked chickpea-flour custard, na Algiers and Oran favourite wey dem dey serve am hot inside bread wit harissa and cumin.
• Brik na crispy fried pastry wit egg, tuna or potato inside.
• Mhadjeb and grilled merguez sausage dey full di medinas as sun dey go down.
• For dessert, try makroud (date-stuffed semolina), zlabia and kalb el louz, na almond-semolina cake wey dem soak for syrup.

Wetin you go drink

• Mint tea and strong coffee dey everywhere; coffee culture na French legacy.
• Selecto and Hamoud Boualem, na iconic local soda wey don dey since 1878, na nostalgic favourite.
• Fresh juice, jus de zaatar type herbal drink and almond milk (sharbet el louz) dey common well.
• Algeria dey mostly dry for real life; dem dey sell alcohol but e no too dey show; no expect am for most restaurant.

Dining tips and how you go behave

• Chop wit your right hand when una dey share food together; bread na the spoon.
• If dem offer you tea or coffee, collect am, na polite thing; if you refuse straight, e fit look like say you dey proud.
• During Ramadan, no chop for public for daytime and plan around evening iftar rush.
• Tip around 10 percent na something wey good but e no compulsory; cash for dinar na king, cards no too dey work.
• No drink tap water, stick to bottled water.

Stay connected for Algeria

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