Algerian

What it is

Algeria, the largest country in Africa, holds a cuisine shaped by Berber agriculture, Arab trade, Ottoman administration, and 130 years of French colonization. Coastal cities lean Mediterranean; inland villages lean Berber; the deep south reaches into Saharan caravan cooking with dates and dried meat.

How it tastes

Where Tunisia is fiery and Morocco sweet, Algeria sits in the middle — savory and slow-simmered, with cumin and caraway out front and a lighter touch of cinnamon than its western neighbor. Mint, both in tea and on the plate, is omnipresent.

Signature dishes & techniques

Couscous is the national plate, especially on Fridays and at weddings. Chorba frik, a Ramadan soup of cracked wheat and lamb, opens the iftar meal across the country. Makroud — semolina pastry stuffed with date paste and soaked in honey — is the holiday sweet, inherited from Andalusian refugees.