Chtitha (Arabic: شطيطحة) is a family of dishes in Algerian cuisine, originally of the tajine type,[1][2] with a base consisting of a sauce made of chickpeas and meat, mostly chicken[3] cooked in a red sauce, heavily seasoned with the Algerian condiment derssa, and the meat is ideally marinated in it for a few hours beforehand[4]

Chtitha
Algerian chicken chtitha cooked in a tajine pot
Alternative namesChtit'ha, Shtitha
CourseMain course
Place of originAlgeria
Main ingredientsMeat
Chicken chtitha

It is named chtitha, which translates to 'little dance,' indicative of its spiciness.[5]

The chtitha comes in about ten different dishes, each featuring a specific central ingredient. The intricate combination of spices and aromatic herbs is tailored to each ingredient, imparting a unique flavor to each chtitha.[6]

Variants edit

  • Chtitha djedj, with chicken[7]
  • Chtitha lhem, with meat
  • Chtitha qamroune, with shrimp[8]
  • Chtitha batata besselq, with potatoes and spinach
  • Chtitha bel bid, with eggs[9]
  • Chtitha batata fliou, requiring the same recipe as chtitha batata besselq, replacing spinach with pennyroyal mint[10]
  • Chtitha mokh, with sheep's brain
  • Chtitha bouzellouf, with sheep's head
  • Chtitha sardine, with sardines[11]

References edit

  1. ^ Bouzerdouma, Fatima (2014-08-23). L' Orient'able, Specialite Du Maghreb (in French). TheBookEdition. ISBN 978-1-291-96187-4.
  2. ^ Rahmouni, Djamila (2023-07-10). "Promouvoir l'attractivité territoriale par l'activité culinaire traditionnelle : cas du projet de couscous de LAHLOU". Revue tadamsa d'unegmu (in French). 3 (2): 71–82. ISSN 2800-1427.
  3. ^ Mourton, Guillaume; André, Patrick; Chaumeton, Hervé (2008-10-06). Cuisine algérienne (in French). Editions Artemis. p. 18. ISBN 978-2-84416-769-9.
  4. ^ Bouayed, Fatima-Zohra; Būʿayyād, Maḥmūd (1983). La Cuisine algérienne. Paris: Temps actuels [diffusion] Messidor. ISBN 978-2-201-01648-6.
  5. ^ Boumedine, Rachid Sidi (2022-12-01). "Cuisines traditionnelles d'Algérie: l'art d'accommoder l'histoire et la géographie". Anthropology of the Middle East. 17 (2): 48–63. doi:10.3167/ame.2022.170204. ISSN 1746-0719.
  6. ^ "BRAISED CHICKEN IN CHTITHA SAUCE WITH CHICKPEAS / Region: ALGERIA". Cuisine Magazine - From New Zealand to the World. Retrieved 2024-01-22.
  7. ^ Bouayed, Fatima-Zohra; Būʿayyād, Maḥmūd (1983). La Cuisine algérienne (in French). Paris: Temps actuels [diffusion] Messidor. p. 69. ISBN 978-2-201-01648-6.
  8. ^ Bouayed, Fatima-Zohra (1983). La Cuisine Algérienne. Paris: Temps actuels [diffusion] Messidor. p. 53. ISBN 978-2-201-01648-6.
  9. ^ Bouayed, Fatima-Zohra (1983). La Cuisine Algérienne. Paris: Temps actuels [diffusion] Messidor. p. 70. ISBN 978-2-201-01648-6.
  10. ^ "Chtitha Batata - African Food Network". 2022-06-17. Retrieved 2024-01-22.
  11. ^ Slimani, Kamilia, and Hayat Khicha. Valorisation du patrimoine culinaire" rituel des festivités collectives et différenciation sociale et culinaire de deux régions (" Ait Ikhlef" Bouzeguene et" At Gouaret" At Djennad) de Kabylie entre hier et aujourd’hui". Diss. Université Mouloud Mammeri de Tizi-Ouzou, 2017.