- Title: ALGERIA-COUSCOUS FESTIVAL Celebration of variety of couscous at Algiers festival
- Date: 9th June 2014
- Summary: RESENDING WITH FULL SCRIPT Women from across the country and even as far as Italy, participate in a couscous festival in Algiers, showing different ways of cooking the popular traditional dish. SHOWS: ALGIERS, ALGERIA (JUNE 7, 2014) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. VARIOUS OF WOMEN PREPARING THEIR DISHES 2. TWO WOMEN PREPARING THEIR COUSCOUS FROM WHEAT AND BARELY 3. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) 47-YEAR-OLD PARTICIPANT FROM TEBESSA, EAST ALGERIA, NAZIHA, SAYING: "Today I am preparing Boutchich and Seffa of Tebessa and Mardoukha, another sweet one. My reason for participating in this event is to teach Algerians from other parts of the country, these dishes that aren't known everywhere so they don't stay only in our region." 4. VARIOUS OF WOMEN PREPARING DIFFERENT KINDS OF COUSCOUS 5. (SOUNDBITE) (French) ITALIAN RESTAURANT OWNER (COUSCOUS TRAPANI), MARILU TERRASI, SAYING: "(I'm here) to introduce our traditional couscous, and to exchange with other women and to share with them the 1000 types of couscous there are in Algeria. They also want to learn the Italian couscous of Sicily." 6. TERRASI DECORATING HER COUSCOUS 7. VARIOUS OF WOMEN DECORATING THEIR COUSCOUS 8. VARIOUS OF FINISHED DISHES 9. DISHES DISPLAYED AT FESTIVAL 10. PARTICIPANT EXPLAINING INGREDIENTS OF HER COUSCOUS TO ALGERIAN MINISTER OF CULTURE, NADIA LABIDI 11. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) ALGERIAN MINISTER OF CULTURE, NADIA LABIDI, SAYING: "This initiative is cultural heritage. We want to show the talents of these women in the Maghreb and to show that we have to keep this tradition alive. I hope that these initiatives will help to keep our traditions and reach all parts of the country and maybe even internationally." 12. VISITORS TASTING SEVERAL KINDS OF COUSCOUS
- Embargoed: 24th June 2014 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Algeria
- Country: Algeria
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVA2CB2K6A2JD6EHSLA26TD0N37J
- Story Text: There are many different varieties of couscous and Algiers' Palais des Rais is the place to try them all.
From June 5 to June 11, the old palace plays host to the couscous festival, offering visitors a whole range of couscous and different ways of preparing it.
About thirty female cooks from all over Algeria and even as far as Italy came together to cook, taste and exchange each other's dishes and methods.
Couscous is at the heart of Algerian cuisine and some participants are keen to see their local recipes reach other parts of the country:
"Today I am preparing Boutchich and Seffa of Tebessa and Mardoukha, another sweet one. My reason for participating in this event is to teach Algerians from other parts of the country these dishes that aren't known everywhere so they don't stay only in our region", said Naziha from eastern Algeria.
Marilu Terrasi, is an Italian cook from Sicily who crossed the Mediterranean to learn more about the dish. She prepares Italian-style couscous.
"(I'm here) to introduce our traditional couscous, and to exchange with other women and to share with them the 1000 types of couscous there are in Algeria. They also want to learn the Italian couscous of Sicily," she said.
Algerian Minister of Culture Nadia Labidi also attended the festival. She was pleased with its success and the many visitors it attracted.
For Labidi, the most important aim of such events is to ensure that traditions - such as methods of cooking couscous - are kept alive.
"This initiative is cultural heritage. We want to show the talents of these women in the Maghreb and to show that we have to keep this tradition alive. I hope that these initiatives will help to keep our traditions and reach all parts of the country and maybe even internationally."
The festival also offered visitors the chance to try their hand at different techniques with a number of workshops.
The couscous festival runs until June 11.
mm/jrc
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