Algeria

When I hear Algeria I imagine something colorful – ceramics, scarves, markets, beautiful desert sunsets. This country in North Africa is opposite our conception of an Islamic state – there is a matriarch, the faces are hidden not by women but by men. She is populated with Tuareg. A people for which I have written about the theme for Azawad. Although they are Muslims, men and women have changed roles. In the traditional Islamic world, the girl, after having reached a certain age, puts on her face veil, hides it from the side-views and leads a humble way of life. In the case of the Tuareg, something like that happens to the men – since the childhood, the father teaches his son how to tie his shawl, covering his hair and face, and on the day of the maturity  the youngsters receive from their father the two things most important for their lives from now on – sword and taiga – an indigo shawl to cover her face. This scarf is believed to protect its bearer from the evil spirits of the desert. You should never ask Tuareg to take off his shawl.

The women are pretty freedom. It is perfectly normal for them before the wedding to have intimate ties, and they not only do not hide this fact but just the opposite – they praise their love conquests. But this is before marriage. After that, each side link is considered a betrayal and is punished strictly. Sometimes an unmarried girls unwanted pregnancy may also occur.But this is not condemned by society. The tribe is waiting for the baby to be born, and a general council looks men who look like this baby and whether they would be suitable for his father.

Unlike women, most of the Tuareg men are illiterate. That is why women are the guardians of traditions, rules, and culture. Men fight, but women run all other spheres of life. They are the owners of all the family property, the house is kept on their behalf, and also the camels and the goats. In divorce, the woman decides how to divide her property, even leaving her husband with nothing. Children by law also remain with women.

The Maghreb kitchen units the culinary traditions of the nations of North Africa, including Algeria. The dish that Algeria is famous for is couscous. With a wide variety of specialties, Algerian cuisine is one of the richest in the world, although it is not so well-known. From the mountain slopes, a variety of spices, corn, and barley are available. From the Sahara, dates, camel oil and meat are provided, and the coastal plains to the north provide crops, vegetables, fruits, and olive oil. The basis of Algerian cuisine was laid by the Berbers, who used spices, groats, and semolina. Their dishes were not complicated but very nutritious. Over the centuries, after first the Arabs, and then the Turks conquered this land and brought with them their culinary traditions, the Algerian cuisine was getting rich. A typical dish is the so-called “shorba“. It can be cooked with small macaroni, rice or green groats. After Ramadan’s all-day fasting, it is inconceivable that the first dish of the table should be anything other than the ” shorba“. This soup is an important part of any official lunch or dinner. Traditionally, at the end of the dinner, Algerians drink fresh mint tea, which is always served with a dessert.

What I chose to prepare for Algeria is called “Mouskoutchou”. In Morocco, they call him Mesquita. Light and airy dessert with simple ingredients and easy to prepare. In every Algerian home, it is served with tea and sometimes like breakfasts.

Necessary products:

1 1/4 teas cups of sugar

5 eggs

1 vanilla

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1 2/3 teaspoons of flour

1 teaspoon bacon

3 tablespoons of grated lemon peel

1 teaspoon poppy seed

1/3 teas cup of melted butter

For decoration:

apricot jam / sugar glaze

toasted nuts or coconut

caramelized fruits

Steps of preparation:

Beat the eggs that are at room temperature together with the sugar with a mixer until the mixture has tripled its volume. Add the melted butter, and then the grated lemon peel. Mix the remaining ingredients with the sifted flour and gradually add, gently stirring, to the egg mixture. Pour in the form of a cake that has previously been coated with oil and sprinkled with flour. Bake at 180 ° C until the stick gets dry. Remove from the oven, wait for a few minutes to cool, and carefully transfer the cake into a grill to cool.

I decided to fly it on with sugar-glaze to get a more festive look. Depending on how much glaze you like, determine the amounts of sugar and lemon juice. I make the glaze with 200 grams of powdered sugar and 4 tablespoons of lemon juice, which I mix nicely. Finally, I placed cocktail cherries, walnut kernels, slices of orange and a sprig of cinnamon stick.

At home, the cake is not the favorite desserts and I do not have much experience in making it. But this recipe was very easy to implement, budget modest, and delicious addition to morning coffee.

Next destination – American Samoa.