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A Popular Delicacy in Algeria
Algerian Mechoui is a traditional North African dish. It features a whole lamb or sheep roasted slowly over an open fire. People in Algeria often serve this dish during special occasions like weddings, religious festivals, and family gatherings.
A Dish for Special Occasions
One unique feature of Algerian Mechoui is its outdoor cooking. People often prepare it in rural settings. Cooking Mechoui is a communal activity that brings families and friends together. They gather around the fire to cook, eat, and enjoy the meal. Traditional music and dancing often accompany the feast.
A Dish That Celebrates the Simple Pleasures of Food
Mechoui symbolizes hospitality and generosity in Algerian culture. It highlights the country’s rich culinary traditions. The dish celebrates the simple joys of food, family, and community. Anyone interested in North African cuisine should try this flavourful dish.
How to prepare the Algerian Mechoui
Ingredients:
1 whole lamb or sheep
1 cup Olive oil
8 cloves of Garlic, minced
4 tablespoons Paprika
4 tablespoons Coriander
3 tablespoon Cumin
1 cup unsalted butter, melted
Salt and pepper to season
Method:
- Trim any excess fat from the lamb, but leave enough to protect and moisten the meat. Mix the olive oil with the garlic, cumin, turmeric, salt, and pepper, and rub this mixture all over the meat.
- Spit-roasted whole méchoui: You’ll need a whole lamb (a 35-pound animal will serve about 30 to 40 people), a fire pit, and a spit rotisserie.
- Fill the gut cavity with onions, tomatoes, garlic, etc. for flavour, and sew it up with cooking twine. Get your fire going. Set up the rotisserie (in front of the fire, not over it) and rotate the spit slowly for 4 to 5 hours, or until all the meat is cooked through, moist, and tender.
- Salt the meat from time to time and baste it periodically with melted butter to encourage a crispy skin.
- Remove the spit from the fire and let the meat rest a bit. Then use clean hands to remove the meat from the bones and onto serving platters. Eat it up!
- North African spice blend: For a more complex flavour, add a nice spoonful of ras el hanout spice blend to the paprika, coriander, and cumin listed above.
