Food of Algeria
Algerian food centers on couscous, hearty stews, slow-cooked lamb and fresh flatbreads, flavored with tomato, chickpeas, olives and warm spices. The coast adds fish and citrus, the highlands add grain dishes, and the Sahara contributes dates and hearty breads. Meals are family affairs shared from big platters, finished with mint tea and almond pastries.
Couscous
Steamed semolina with a vegetable and meat stew, the national dish.
How to make Couscous- Main dishes (8)
- Breakfast (3)
- Street food (3)
- Soups (2)
- Salads (2)
- Breads (2)
- Desserts and sweets (5)
- Drinks (4)
- Fruits and produce (6)
Staples
- semolina
- lamb
- chickpeas
- tomato
- olives
- wheat
- dates
- fish
Signature flavors
- cumin
- paprika
- harissa
- coriander
- cinnamon
- saffron
- mint
Main dishes
Steamed semolina with a vegetable and meat stew, the national dish.
Key ingredients: semolina, lamb, chickpeas, carrots, zucchiniFull guide →
Shredded flatbread soaked in a spicy lamb stew.
Key ingredients: rougag bread, lamb, tomato, chickpeas, spices
A tomato and lamb soup thickened with crushed green wheat.
Key ingredients: lamb, freekeh, tomato, mint, corianderChicken or lamb stew with olives and a rich sauce.
Key ingredients: chicken, olives, onion, saffron
Fresh noodles in chicken and turnip broth with chickpeas.
Key ingredients: noodles, chicken, turnip, chickpeas, cinnamon
Chicken and olive stew with garlic and paprika.
Key ingredients: chicken, green olives, garlic, paprika
Stuffed vegetables with spiced meat and rice.
Key ingredients: zucchini, peppers, rice, ground meatFull guide →
Slow-roasted lamb seasoned with cumin and butter.
Key ingredients: lamb, cumin, butterBreakfast
Flaky folded pan bread with honey.
Key ingredients: flour, semolina, butter, honeyFull guide →Thin crepes filled with tomato and pepper sauce.
Key ingredients: semolina, tomato, onion, pepper
Round bread served with butter and olive oil.
Key ingredients: semolina, olive oil, butterStreet food
Chickpea flan baked and served in bread with harissa.
Key ingredients: chickpea flour, egg, cumin, harissa
Crispy pastries filled with meat or egg.
Key ingredients: warqa, ground meat, egg, parsley
Spiced lamb sausage in bread.
Key ingredients: merguez, harissa, friesSoups
Creamy white soup with chicken and chickpeas.
Key ingredients: chicken, chickpeas, egg yolk, lemon
Tomato and lentil soup.
Key ingredients: tomato, lentils, chickpeasFull guide →Salads
Grilled pepper and tomato salad.
Key ingredients: peppers, tomato, garlicFull guide →
Potato salad with harissa and olives.
Key ingredients: potatoes, olives, harissaBreads
Homemade round bread.
Key ingredients: semolina, yeastFluffy bread cooked in a pan.
Key ingredients: semolina, yeastDesserts and sweets
Date-filled semolina diamonds, fried and dipped in honey.
Key ingredients: semolina, dates, honey
Almond-filled diamond pastries.
Key ingredients: phyllo, almonds, honeyFull guide →Almond semolina cake soaked in orange blossom syrup.
Key ingredients: semolina, almonds, syrup
Toasted semolina and honey paste.
Key ingredients: semolina, honey, butterTwisted fried sesame cookies in honey.
Key ingredients: flour, sesame, honeyDrinks
Sweet mint tea served with almond pastries.
Key ingredients: green tea, mint, sugarFull guide →
Strong coffee in small cups.
Key ingredients: coffee, sugarCultured buttermilk.
Key ingredients: buttermilk, saltLemon soda popular across the country.
Key ingredients: lemon, sugar, sodaFruits and produce
Translucent, honey-sweet dates from Biskra.
Key ingredients: snacking, stuffed, with milkFull guide →
Sweet citrus from the Mitidja plain.
Key ingredients: juice, fresh
Fresh and dried figs from Kabylie.
Key ingredients: fresh, driedFull guide →
Olives from Kabylie pressed into oil.
Key ingredients: oil, tajine
Summer melons.
Key ingredients: chilledFull guide →
Sweet cactus fruits.
Key ingredients: freshDish guides from Algeria
More cuisines of Northern Africa
Descriptions written by Intercontinental Chef. Dishes are listed as commonly eaten today; many are shared across neighbouring countries.
- Moroccan cuscus, from Casablanca, September 2018: Lmmima, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Algerian Chakhchoukha: Plwnt, CC0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Bean soup with tomatoes and red peppers: Gillgaramond, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Rechtaalgeroise: Slothtysloth, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Tajine-marocain-un-plat-varie-et-sain (cropped): BBouchra00, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Speca te mbushura me mish: Violetamyftari, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Mechoui: Andre Piquet, CC BY 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- مسمن: إيان, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Vue panoramique de Kesra Tunisie: Amina Chaker, CC BY 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Karantika Algerian: Plwnt, CC0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Brikdish: Muckster, CC BY 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Merguez sausages: Unknown, CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Harira: Kattusa24, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)
- Potato salad (1): SajjadF, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Makrouds: Credits to Mourad Ben Abdallah / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)
- Baklava(1): Sakaman, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Tamina Snuka WrestleMania 32 Axxess: Miguel Discart, CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Tunisian Tea with pine nuts: sky#walker, CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Latte and dark coffee: Bex Walton, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Dates005: Nepenthes, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Oranges - whole-halved-segment: Ivar Leidus, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Ficus carica L, 1771: Trew, C.J, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)
- Olivesfromjordan: en:User:Nickfraser, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Taiwan 2009 Tainan City Organic Farm Watermelon FRD 7962: Fred Hsu (Wikipedia:User:Fred Hsu on en.wikipedia), CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Dikenli İncir (Opuntia ficus-indica) Gaziantep Turkey.IMG 1104: YG01, CC BY 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
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