Chakhchoukha
Encyclopedia
Chakhchoukha, chekhechoukha or chakhchoura is a dish of the Algerian cuisine
, eaten often on festive celebrations, especially popular in the Aurès region. The dish consists in tearing small pieces of Rougag (thin round flatbread
) and mixing them with Marqa, a stew.
culinary speciality that has now extended to other parts of Algeria
. The word chakhchoukha comes from tacherchert, "crumbing" or "tearing into small pieces" in the Chaouia language
(émietter in French
). This dish originated in the hearty food shepherd
s needed when they came back home on cold winter nights.
and, after baking, is torn by hand into small pieces.
When eating in individual plates, about two handfuls are put in the plate and then the sauce or stew is poured on top.
The marqa or stew consists of diced lamb cooked with spices, tomatoes, chopped onion
s and chick peas. Often potatoes, zucchini
, carrot
s and green peppers are added to the mixture depending from the season, the area and the family.
The main spices used for the stew are dried red chillies, caraway
, ras el hanout
, black pepper
and cumin
.
There is a variant of this dish in Batna and nearby towns, like Barika
, M'Sila
and Biskra
, that uses a different type of bread.
Algerian cuisine
The cuisine of Algeria is a distinct fusion of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines.-Description:Algerian cuisine differs slightly from region to region. Algerian cuisine has strong Berber but also Ottoman Turkish influence due to the Ottoman occupation. The main varieties are Algiers, Oran ,...
, eaten often on festive celebrations, especially popular in the Aurès region. The dish consists in tearing small pieces of Rougag (thin round flatbread
Flatbread
A flatbread is a simple bread made with flour, water, and salt and then thoroughly rolled into flattened dough. Many flatbreads are unleavened: made without yeast or sourdough culture: although some flatbread is made with yeast, such as pita bread....
) and mixing them with Marqa, a stew.
Description
Chakhchoukha is an originally ChaouiChaoui
The Shawia people, or Chaouis are a Berber people who live mainly in the Aurès, Nememcha and Belezma Region in the Aurès Mountains, a large part of eastern Algeria known in ancient times as Numidia...
culinary speciality that has now extended to other parts of Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
. The word chakhchoukha comes from tacherchert, "crumbing" or "tearing into small pieces" in the Chaouia language
Chaouia language
Shawia or Chaouïa also known as th Numidian Berber is the eponymous Zenati-Berber spoken by the Shawia people of eastern Algeria around Batna, Khenchela, Sétif, Oum El Bouaghi, Souk Ahras, Tébessa and the north part of Biskra...
(émietter in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
). This dish originated in the hearty food shepherd
Shepherd
A shepherd is a person who tends, feeds or guards flocks of sheep.- Origins :Shepherding is one of the oldest occupations, beginning some 6,000 years ago in Asia Minor. Sheep were kept for their milk, meat and especially their wool...
s needed when they came back home on cold winter nights.
Preparation
The rougag or flat bread is made with fine semolinaSemolina
Semolina is the coarse, purified wheat middlings of durum wheat used in making pasta, and also used for breakfast cereals and puddings. Semolina is also used to designate coarse middlings from other varieties of wheat, and from other grains such as rice and corn.-Name:The term semolina derives from...
and, after baking, is torn by hand into small pieces.
When eating in individual plates, about two handfuls are put in the plate and then the sauce or stew is poured on top.
The marqa or stew consists of diced lamb cooked with spices, tomatoes, chopped onion
Onion
The onion , also known as the bulb onion, common onion and garden onion, is the most widely cultivated species of the genus Allium. The genus Allium also contains a number of other species variously referred to as onions and cultivated for food, such as the Japanese bunching onion The onion...
s and chick peas. Often potatoes, zucchini
Zucchini
The zucchini is a summer squash which often grows to nearly a meter in length, but which is usually harvested at half that size or less. It is a hybrid of the cucumber. Along with certain other squashes, it belongs to the species Cucurbita pepo. Zucchini can be dark or light green...
, carrot
Carrot
The carrot is a root vegetable, usually orange in colour, though purple, red, white, and yellow varieties exist. It has a crisp texture when fresh...
s and green peppers are added to the mixture depending from the season, the area and the family.
The main spices used for the stew are dried red chillies, caraway
Caraway
Caraway also known as meridian fennel, or Persian cumin is a biennial plant in the family Apiaceae, native to western Asia, Europe and Northern Africa....
, ras el hanout
Ras el hanout
Ras el hanout or Rass el hanout is a popular Moroccan blend of spices that is used across North Africa. The name means "top of the shop" in Arabic and refers to a mixture of the best spices a seller has to offer...
, black pepper
Black pepper
Black pepper is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit, known as a peppercorn when dried, is approximately in diameter, dark red when fully mature, and, like all drupes, contains a single seed...
and cumin
Cumin
Cumin is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae, native from the east Mediterranean to India. Its seeds are used in the cuisines of many different cultures, in both whole and ground form.-Etymology:...
.
There is a variant of this dish in Batna and nearby towns, like Barika
Barika
Barika is a city in Batna Province, in eastern Algeria. The city has a population of 144,547 ....
, M'Sila
M'Sila
M'Sila ; is the capital of M'Sila Province, Algeria, and is co-extensive with M'Sila District. It has a population of over 100,000...
and Biskra
Biskra
Biskra is the capital city of Biskra province, Algeria. In 2007, its population was recorded as 207,987.During Roman times the town was called Vescera, though this may have been simply a Latin transliteration of the native name. Around 200 AD under Septimius Severus' reign, it was seized by the...
, that uses a different type of bread.
See also
- Algerian cuisineAlgerian cuisineThe cuisine of Algeria is a distinct fusion of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines.-Description:Algerian cuisine differs slightly from region to region. Algerian cuisine has strong Berber but also Ottoman Turkish influence due to the Ottoman occupation. The main varieties are Algiers, Oran ,...
- Torta de gazpachoTorta de GazpachoTorta de Gazpacho is a type of torta, or flat bread, used to prepare a dish called Gazpacho or Gazpachos in La Mancha and Southeast Spain, including Murcia and parts of the Valencian Community....
, a similar Spanish dish both in its appearance and origin.