COPPERWhat is the national dish of Algeria?
The national dish of Algeria is couscous (seksu in Tamazight): durum-wheat semolina rolled by hand into small grains and steamed over a stew of meat and vegetables, then moistened with the broth. Algeria has no law naming a national dish, but couscous is the one cited everywhere, and in 2020 UNESCO inscribed its know-how on behalf of Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia and Mauritania.
What is Algerian couscous?
Couscous is not a pasta shape poured from a box. Traditionally it starts as semolina, the hard heart of the durum wheat grain, which is sprinkled with water and rolled with the palms until it forms small pellets. These are dusted with dry flour so they stay separate, then sieved. In some regions the same work is done with barley instead of wheat.
The grains are then cooked in steam, not in water. The steamer, called a kiskas in Arabic, taseksut in Tamazight and couscoussier in French, sits on top of a tall pot where the meat and vegetables simmer. The rising steam cooks the semolina and carries the flavour of the stew into it. Once on the plate, the couscous is moistened with the broth.
Is couscous officially Algeria's national dish?
No Algerian law or decree names a national dish. Couscous holds the title by consensus: the English and French Wikipedia articles on Algerian cuisine both call it the national dish, and the global list of national dishes names it first for Algeria, alongside rechta.
The closest thing to an official seal is international. In December 2020, Algeria, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia obtained a joint inscription on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity for the knowledge, know-how and practices of producing and eating couscous. The joint file was presented as an example of cooperation between the four countries.
Regional couscous in Algeria
Every region, town and oasis has its own couscous. Depending on the area it is served with chicken, mutton, camel or fish, and with turnips, carrots, green beans, courgettes, broad beans or pumpkin. A few named versions:
Styles also change with the landscape. Isolated regions make rustic couscous with dried meat, the south seasons it with many spices and herbs, the northern cities prefer it mild and refined, coastal towns cook it with seafood, and Amazigh areas build it mostly on plants. The broth poured over the grain can be red, yellow or white, and in some places the grains are fermented to make el hammoum.
- Couscous algérois, the version of the capital.
- Amekfoul from Kabylia.
- Maghmouma from the Aurès.
- Maamar from the Oran region.
- Mzeyet from Constantine.
- Srayer from Ouargla, in the Sahara.
- Masfouf, a dry couscous with no sauce, made with broad beans or peas, or sweet with raisins and dates.
Where couscous comes from
Couscous is a Berber (Amazigh) food. The word is probably of Berber origin, from a root meaning well rolled or rounded, and the form seksu is still used in Kabyle. Its exact age is unknown: food writer Charles Perry places its origin among the Berbers of Algeria and Morocco between the 11th and 13th centuries, while food historian Lucie Bolens argued it goes back to the ancient kingdom of Numidia, in present-day Algeria.
Because it is shared across the Maghreb, the same dish also leads the list in Tunisia and Morocco.
Other dishes to know from Algeria
Couscous is not the only steamed wheat dish. Rechta, which some lists name as a second national dish, is made of thread-fine fresh noodles steamed three times over the pot and served under a pale chicken sauce with turnip, courgette and chickpeas. No tomato goes in: the sauce stays white and is finished with cinnamon. It is the pride of Algiers, cooked for religious occasions such as Mawlid and Ashura and, in some families, to celebrate the birth of a child.
Chorba, inherited from the Ottoman period, is often called Algeria's national soup. Every region has its own, from the mild chicken and vermicelli chorba beida of Algiers to the chorba frik of the Aurès, Constantine and the Sétif high plateaus, and all are scented with coriander. During Ramadan it is cooked every day and traditionally offered to the poor. In our chorba frik, green wheat that was harvested unripe and roasted simmers for 25 minutes in a lamb and tomato broth with chickpeas, celery leaves, coriander and mint.
For something sweet, makroud are semolina lozenges rolled around date paste, fried at 160°C, then dropped into warm honey with orange blossom water.
All three recipes are on our page about the food of Algeria, and the wider tradition is covered in our guide to North African food.
The recipes
- Rechta🇩🇿 Algeria · 13 hours and 30 minutes
Chorba frik🇩🇿 Algeria · 13 hours and 35 minutes
Makroud🇩🇿 Algeria · 2 hours and 45 minutes
Questions people ask
Is couscous Algerian or Moroccan?
Both, along with Tunisia and Mauritania. Couscous is a Berber food shared across the Maghreb, and the four countries registered it together with UNESCO in 2020.
Does Algeria have an official national dish?
No law names one. Couscous is the dish cited as Algeria's national dish by encyclopedias and food writers, and rechta is sometimes named alongside it.
What is couscous served with in Algeria?
Usually with a stew of lamb, chicken, fish or camel and vegetables such as turnips, carrots, courgettes, chickpeas and pumpkin, with the broth spooned over the grains.
What is the national soup of Algeria?
Chorba, a soup inherited from the Ottoman period. Its best-known form is chorba frik, made with roasted green wheat.
What is couscous called in Tamazight?
Seksu. The word couscous is probably of Berber origin; the Berber root KS means well formed, well rolled or rounded.
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