If you’re planning on visiting Algeria, be ready to explore more than just its cities, but also its tasty underrated food.
As Africa’s largest country, Algeria has 48 cities with different traditional food, traditions, and culture, so visiting Algeria is almost as equal as visiting 48 different countries, and although the country has its pros and cons, Algerian food is DEFINITELY one of the pros!
Traditional food
01/ Couscous
Couscous is served every Friday in almost every Algerian home. This whole meal of grains, vegetables, and chicken or meat is also served in wedding dinners.
Couscous is cooked in many ways, white vegetable sauce, red sauce, with steamed vegetables and is even served with fruits like grapes or watermelon, depending on the season and region.
02/ Chorba
This particular vegetable tomato-based soup is very famous in Algeria and most people choose to have it during the holy month of Ramadan with other foods. Many Algerian meals have the Mediterranean healthy element and are vegetable-based, like beans soup or lentil soup, but chorba is a winner. Make sure to try it if you are traveling to Algeria.
03/ Kesra ( semolina bread ) / Algerian bread
One of the most popular types of Algerian bread. You can eat kesra with Chorba, coffee or Lben ( Whey)
For the ingredients, you can cook this semolina bread with olive oil; dates if you’re planning to have it with coffee and many healthy herbs if you want to eat it for lunch.
04/ Rechta
Probably the second most popular traditional food in Algeria. Many people choose to have Rechta on fridays instead of couscous, and also on Religious Holidays of Islam.
Rechta looks like noodels, but it tastes nothing like it! It’s a homemade dough that women work like pasta and then serve with a zucchini, turip chiken sauce.
05/ Metlouh
Algerians are bread lovers, so it somehow explains why we have many different types of bread, and Metlouh is one of them.
Metlou3 is one of the best bread you can have. Like the picture shows, women cook it on a clay Tagine.
I remember my grandmother cooking This tagine bread, and giving us a hot piece each, with drops of olive oil inside, or with tomatoes to calm our hungry little stomachs waiting for lunch, and this was the best snack I can think of!
A traveler I know, Moumen, went to the city of Boussada and had Metlouh with different types of cheese, and it looks so delicious, these pictures are enough reason for me to drive all the way to Boussada and taste this! Don’t judge me hehe.
06/ Lben
Lben ( le ptit lait) or whey in english, is THE drink to have on lunch with couscous, Rechta, Kesra, Metlouh and dates… You name it!
As the picture shows, most people choose to serve it in a pottery jug to keep traditions alive, but also as they believe it’s healthier.
07/ Beghrir
Beghrir is the north-African pancake that is small, spongy, and made with semolina or flour; when cooked correctly, tiny holes appear on the surface. It soaks the honey-butter mixture, which the most common sauce to use with beghrir.
Street Food
Algerian street food, uh! Where do I even start? Many people consume street food because it’s affordable, but also because it’s yummy ( not the healthiest, but it wouldn’t hurt to have it every now and then)
08/ Mhajeb
Mhadjeb is a semolina based stuffed crepe-like flatbread, and if I’m going to get personal here, it’s the love of my life. So yes, just make sure to try it.
09/ Bourek
I am introducing you to the other love of my life. Bourek is a meat or potato cheese-filled pastry, It is the perfect snack, especially on a Ramadan table to accompany Chorba, to be honest, I like it on every occasion, and you can find it almost everywhere as street food.
10/ Garantita
Garantita is one of the most famous dishes in Algeria, and also one the most affordable and simple making one. Garantita sandwich is one the most famous street food in North Algeria, especially in cities like Oran, Algiers, and Blida
11/ Zlabiya
This is probably the sweetest dessert you might ever try, it’s also usually popular during Ramadan where most people choose to have it with tea.
12 Chwa ( Grilled meet or chiken )
A common street food to eat in popular middle-class restaurants, that doesn’t cost much.
13/ Sardine
Like any other Mediterranean country, Sardines is a popular dish to eat in popular middle-class restaurants.
14/ Pizza
Yes, I know Pizza is Italian, but it’s one of the most consumed street food in Algeria. The prices may vary from 20 DA a Slice to 2000 Da a Round pizza or more when eating in bit fancier places.
15/ filled pastry puff
Another street food to try is Quiche filled with cheese, tuna, chiken… There are many choices , so I hope you enjoy that.
Want to see my street food video around Algeria? here it is
Great website ❤ Very interesting and helpful information about Algeria 🇩🇿
Great work Nour ..keep going🙏
Thank you so much! I really appreciate it.
Hi Nour, congratulations for your website. The design and the content are really attractive.
You made me hungry with all these yummy meals 😋😋😋
Keep going!
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Oh Thank you! I’m glad you like it
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thanks for providing these statistics.