African Food and Art

Thank you to our latest donor, Tony. Thank you, Tony. We were able to purchase three new stainless steel pots to continue our cooking and teaching heritage.

Algerian Jelbana Artichokes and Green Peas Tajine Recipe

Algerian jelbana stew tajine with artichokes and green peas is a classic African Algerian stew recipe. Traditional Algerian jelbana is slow cooked in a tajine, but you can make this North African recipe using your stew pot.

Learn to make Algerian Jelbana Artichokes and Green Peas Tajine Recipe and discover facts about Africa's largest country Algeria.

Algerian Jelbana Artichokes and Green Peas Tajine Recipe

Algerian Jelbana Artichokes and Green Peas Tajine Recipe

Ingredients

4 skinless chicken thighs

2 cups frozen green peas

1 small can artichoke hearts

1 large yellow onion, chopped

2 medium tomatoes, diced

2 medium white potatoes, diced

1 cup frozen baby carrots

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

2 whole bay leaves

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon ground coriander

2 minced garlic cloves 2 cups water

Directions

Mix spices into a small bowl then add all ingredients into a large lidded stew pot. Simmer 30 minutes until vegetables are tender. Serve with homemade bread.

Algerian jelbana stew tajine with artichokes and green peas is a classic African Algerian stew recipe.
Classic African Algerian stew recipe

About Algeria location and climate

 Algeria is mostly high plateau and desert located in Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, situated between Morocco and Tunisia and is slightly less than 3.5 times the size the US state of Texas. The climate is arid to semiarid; mild, wet winters with hot, dry summers along coast; drier with cold winters and hot summers on high plateau. Algeria’s mountainous areas subject to severe earthquakes; mudslides and floods in rainy season; drought; it is the largest country in Africa but 80% desert. Canyons and caves are located in the southern Hoggar Mountains and in the barren Tassili n'Ajjer area in the southeast of the country contains numerous examples of prehistoric art - rock paintings and carvings depicting human activities and wild and domestic animals that date to the African Humid Period, roughly 11,000 to 5,000 years ago, when the region was completely vegetated.

On the people of Algeria

The massive majority of the population in Algeria is found in the extreme northern part of the country along the Mediterranean Coast with Arab-Berber 99% and European less than 1% ethnic groups. The population is around 45 million Muslims with languages spoken Arabic (official), French (lingua franca), Berber or Tamazight (official); dialects include Kabyle Berber (Taqbaylit), Shawiya Berber (Tacawit), Mzab Berber, Tuareg Berber (Tamahaq). Major urban areas are 2.694 million living in the capital of Algiers and  881,000 living in the city of Oran.

A brief note regarding the Algerian economy

Hydrocarbons have long been the backbone of the Algerian economy, accounting for roughly 30% of GDP, 60% of budget revenues, and nearly 95% of export earnings. Algeria has the 10th-largest reserves of natural gas in the world - including the 3rd-largest reserves of shale gas - and is the 6th-largest gas exporter. It ranks 16th in proven oil reserves. The main export partners are Italy 17.4%, Spain 13%, France 11.9%, US 9.4%, Brazil 6.2%, and the Netherlands 5.5%.


More economical easy lunch and dinner recipes to make right now so you never have to eat or prepare a boring meal again.

  1. Curried Tanzanian Coconut Okra Recipe
  2. Frikkadelle an Afrikaner dish of meatballs
  3. Senegalese Chicken Vermicelli
  4. Chadian Steamed Honey Cassava Buns
  5. Cameroon Smoked Bonga Fish Stew

Chic African Culture and The African Gourmet=

Week’s Best African Culture Posts

What is the difference between ugali and fufu

Image
How to make the popular African recipes Ugali and Fufu and what is the difference.  Ugali is a starch dish in Kenya and Tanzania made of fine cornmeal cooked in boiling water into a soft dough. Fufu is a thick, dough-like West African food made by boiling then pounding a starchy vegetable such as yam, plantain, or cassava or a mixture of starchy vegetables. The main difference between fufu and ugali is fufu is boiled first then pounded while ugali is simply boiled. Ugali recipe. Easy Ugali Recipe Prep time 5 minutes Cook time 30 minutes Total time 30 minutes Ingredients 4 cups finely ground cornmeal 8 cups water Directions Heat water to boiling in a saucepan. Slowly pour cornmeal into boiling water stirring continuously. Add more cornmeal if necessary until it is thick as soft bread dough. Serve immediately with vegetables, stew, or any dish you would use a spoon with to soak up the sauce, ugali is purposely bland tasting on its own. What is the difference between ugali and
Learn More About Africa

Top 20 Largest Countries in Africa

Image
African Country by Size List. Africa Which are the top twenty largest, smallest, and territorial country in Africa by land area? 1. The continent of Africa is the world’s second largest based on land area and population just after Asia. 2. Top five largest countries of Africa are Algeria, Congo Democratic Republic of the, Sudan, Libya and Chad. 3. Top five smallest African countries and territories are Mauritius, São Tomé and Príncipe, Seychelles, Saint Helena and Mayotte. African Country from largest to smallest Area sq mile Area sq km Algeria 919,595 2,381,740 Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) 905,568 2,345,410 Sudan 718,723 1,861,484 Libya 679,362 1,759,540 Chad 495,755 1,284,000 Niger 489,191 1,267,000 Angola 481,354 1,246,700 Mali 478,767 1,240,000 South Africa 471,011 1,219,912 Ethiopia 435,186 1,127,127 Mauritania 397,95
Learn More About Africa

Ethiopian Midwest American Hotdish

Image
Our Ethiopian hot dish combines Ethiopian cooking with classic Minnesota Midwest casserole meal. The hot dish’s origins are a product of settlers traditions in Midwest America dating back to the early 20th century. A hot-dish or casserole is a one-pan meal that traditionally includes a combination of starch like potatoes, pasta, or rice, ground meat, vegetables, and a creamy canned soup base, all topped with crunchy goodness like breadcrumbs or tater tots. The concept of hot dish became popular in the Upper Midwest, particularly in states like Minnesota, North Dakota, and Wisconsin, in the 1930s and 1940s. This period was marked by economic challenges, including the Great Depression. The need for economical and filling meals led to the creation of dishes that could be stretched to feed many people using simple, affordable ingredients . Hot dishes became synonymous with potlucks, church suppers, and social gatherings. These events were central to rural and small-town communities, where
Learn More About Africa

Neck elongation rings how to put on and take off

Image
Neck elongation rings how to put on and take off. Idzila are Ndebele wives traditionally wear rings around the neck as a status symbol and wear rings around the arms, legs, and neck. Wearing Neck Rings. For centuries, married South African Ndebele tribes’ women saw wearing heavy rings around their neck as an honored status symbol. Neck rings are any form of stiff necklaces worn around the neck of an individual. The neck rings are usually made of copper or brass. During initiation, girls wear an array of colorfully beaded hoops called izigolwan around their legs, arms, waist, and neck. After marriage, the Ndebele wife would wear copper and brass rings around her arms, legs, and neck, symbolizing her bond and faithfulness to her husband, once her home was built. Idzila rings were believed to have strong ritual powers. Husbands used to provide their wives with rings; the richer the husband, the more rings the wife would wear. These outward symbols can be removed only in ca
Learn More About Africa