Algerian Cuisine Cuisine Algerienne by Farid ZADI

Foodie Blog Roll

Foodie Blog Roll I joined the foodie blogroll a week or so ago and forgot to post about it as promised. There are several food blog aggregators. Is My Blog Burning lists 3 or 4. You can google for more. A special thanks to KIPlog who was the first, as far as I know. Each blog roll is a bit different, you can join all of them if you like, so there's no need to think too hard about the matter.

Food in Film- Hosted by The Well-Seasoned Cook

Well-Seasoned Cook

So think about the films that you’ve enjoyed, perhaps even watched countless times. The movies don’t have to be about food or drink per se such as Babette’s Feast or  Like Water for Chocolate (although they can be), but also think about flicks that lick at those food moments revealed with startling clarity, vague adumbration, or the light or dark reflections of the mood at hand.

I chose Indigenes (also known as Days of Glory), which was nominated for an Oscar in the "Best Foreign Film" category. This was the fourth Academy Award nomination for Algeria*.  Previous nominations were:

DUST OF LIFE (1995) -- Nominee, Foreign Language Film
LE BAL (1983) -- Nominee, Foreign Language Film
Z (1969) -- Winner, Foreign Language Film

Five of the films North African actors recieved best actor awards at Cannes.

Film synopsis from Oscar.com

For the North African troops fighting for France during the Second World War, their experience in uniform becomes a painful lesson in just how little regard their colonial rulers have for their humanity. As one company of soldiers pushes north through Europe, its members continue to find themselves denied the basic rights taken for granted by their French counterparts.

There is a scene in the movie where the Maghrebi and African soldiers are denied tomatoes at meal time because they are "luxuries reserved for whites only". Algerian Corporal Abdelkader takes a basket of tomatoes and crushes them with his boots defiantly stating that if all the soldiers don't get tomatoes, no one will.

An Algerian tomato puree recipe seems fitting, but a little too basic. So I'll present  Algerian peppers stuffed with goat cheese garnished with tomatoes.  I used jalapenos for this version, but piquillos and poblanos are fine for this dish.

Monthly Mingle- Liquid Dreams hosted by What's For Lunch Honey?

What's For Lunch Honey?

My liquid dream (pardon me) is Algerian Coffee with Almond Cherbet (ice). This is an incredibly easy and delicious iced coffee. I used Natural Almond Syrup (Sciroppo Orzata) from Sicily since there are no Algerian brands available in the States. There are a few other Italian brands available in the states, check your local Italian deli or specialty food store.

The recipes is best given in ratios. 1 part almond syrup to 1 part water frozen. Scrape or "shave" ice with a spoon, it's quite easy to do as it doesn't freeze as hard as a plain water does.

Brew some strong coffee, espresso is nice, but you can adjust to suit your taste and tolerance for caffeine. Chill the coffee and pour on top of the shaved ice into small cups. Use approzimately equal parts shaved almond ice to coffee. The drink is sweet, so add more coffee if desired. I used Algerian mint tea cups.

Show Us Your Cookbooks- Hosted by YumSugar

Is My Blog Burning Event hosted by YumSugar 

To celebrate summer reading, we’d like everyone to post a picture of themselves with their favorite cookbook.To be included in the roundup, all you have to do is post a pic of you holding your favorite book.

- Name you want me to use- Farid Zadi

- Where you’re from- Lyon, France, parents from Setif, Algeria, currently living in Los Angeles

- What book you chose- The Food of Paradise: Exploring Hawaii's Culinary Heritage by Rachel Laudan

- One short sentence on why you chose that book- I chose the book because it helped me look at food   cultures and food history through a new lens or rather multiple lenses. Rachel Laudan is a thought-provoking food historian and she's rigorous with research.