The drinking of anisette was accompanied by keima - a snack of snails, squid or fried bread, which were staples of the raucous bars of the lower Casbah and around the docks.
The cuisine developed into another badge of a unique French-Algerian identity, using local produce and borrowing freely from Arabic and Turkish dishes. So, alongside the European staples of bouillabaisse and paella, the colons also used spices, mutton, almonds, and fruit such as figs and melons to produce a hearty, hybrid cuisine. Visiting Parisians turned their noses up at its lack of refinement and tended to regard genuine Arab dishes (couscous or tagine) as barbaric.
from The French Intifada by Andrew Hussey.
No comments:
Post a Comment