Food and Cities

Tunisia

Most populated cities:

1. Tunis
2. Sfax
3. Sousse
4. Kairouan
5. Ettadhamen
6. Gabes
7. Bizerte
8. Aryanah
9. Gafs

The city of Sfax is often called as Tunisias second city. Sfax is served by a narrow gauge railway system of SNCFT that delivers phosphates and iron ore for export, but also sees passenger services to Tunis. Sfax is moreover served by Sfax – Thyna International Airport.The city, founded in AD 849 on the ruins of Taparura and Thaenae, is the capital of the Sfax Governorate (about 860,000 inhabitants in 2005), and a Mediterranean port. Sfax has a population of 340,000 (2005 estimate). The main economic activities of Sfax are industries (phosphate processing), agriculture (olive and olive oil, nuts), fishing (largest fishing port in Tunisia) and trade (import-export).

Food

Tunisian cuisine is inexpensive and tasty. Meat and fish dishes with large amounts or vegetables make up most of the menu. And although couscous and some hearty soups such as chorba often have harissa added to them, it is also not an overly spicy cuisine and the harissa can always be left out. In fact, harissa is best served with olive oil at the start of a meal as an appetiser. But save some room because the French and Turks left behind many delicious desserts for the Tunisians and visitors to enjoy. So next to almond and chocolate cakes, gateaux and croissants you’ll also see loukoum (Turkish delight), baklava, and marzipan filled dates.
 Brik - A popular Tunisian snack consisting of an egg fried in a thin pastry envelope, sometimes made with a savoury filling of tuna or vegetables. They’re at their best when eaten hot and fresh.


Harissa - A red chilli, pepper and garlic sauce added to many dishes. Often served with olive oil, olives and fresh bread as a starter. Mechouia - A spicy mix made of mashed grilled vegetables including aubergines, tomatoes, courgettes and onions. Served as a starter with olive oil and garlic.

Lablabi - A typical Tunisian broth, normally enjoyed at lunch, made of chickpeas with added bread and seasoned with spices.

Chorba - A spicy and delicious chicken or lamb stock based soup made with rice shaped pasta or as chorba fric with barley granules.

Kamounia - A thick and tasty meat stew liberally seasoned with cumin and other spices. Not as common as couscous but well worth looking out for.

Couscous - This is Tunisia’s most famous dish individual steamed grains of semolina, served with meat or fish and vegetables in a tomato sauce.

 

Morocco

Main cities:

• Casablanca.-Casablanca is Morocco's chief port and industrial center. The 2012 census, adjusted with recent numbers, recorded a population of about 4 million in the prefecture of Casablanca and about 5 million in the region of Grand Casablanca. Casablanca is considered the economic and business center of Morocco, while the national political capital is Rabat.

• Rabat Sale.-The city is located on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the river Bou Regreg. On the facing shore of the river lies Salé, the city's main commuter town. Rabat, Temara, and Salé form a conurbation of over 1.8 million people. Silt-related problems have diminished Rabat's role as a port; however, Rabat and Salé still maintain important textile, food processing and construction industries. In addition, tourism and the presence of all foreign embassies in Morocco serve to make Rabat one of the most important cities in the country.
• Fes.-The city has two old medinas, the larger of which is Fes el Bali. It is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is believed to be one of the world's largest car-free urban areas.Al-Qarawiyyin, founded in AD 859, is the oldest continuously functioning madrasa in the world. The city has been called the "Mecca of the West" and the "Athens of Africa".

Don't leave Morocco without trying:

B’ssara.-At a few pennies a bowl, this rich soup of dried broad beans is traditionally served for breakfast, topped with a swirl of olive oil, a sprinkling of cumin and bread fresh from the oven.

Tagine.-A tagine is the clay cooking pot with a conical lid that gives its name to a myriad of dishes. Tagines can be seen bubbling away at every roadside café, are found in top notch restaurants and in every home, and are always served with bread.

Harira.-Rich with tomatoes, lentils, chickpeas and lamb, it is finished off with a squeeze of lemon juice and some chopped coriander, and served with a sticky sweet pretzel called chebakkiya.

Egypt

MAIN CITIES

Cairo.- it was founded in 969 CE. Nicknamed "the city of a thousand minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a center of the region's political and cultural life.
Cairo is also associated with Ancient Egypt as it is close to the ancient cities of Memphis, Giza and Fustat which are near the Great Sphinx and the pyramids of Giza.
The name Cairo means "The Defeater".

Alexandria.-It is the second largest city and a major economic centre in Egypt, extending about 32 km (20 mi) along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country. It is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. During the late 18th centuries it became one of the main center of the shipping industry.
The Royal Library of Alexandria in Alexandria, Egypt, was once the largest library in the world. It is generally thought to have been founded at the beginning of the 3rd century BC. It has been established that parts of the collection of books, were destroyed by fire on a number of occasions (library fires were common and replacement of handwritten manuscripts was very difficult, expensive, and time-consuming). To this day the details of the destruction (or destructions) remain a lively source of controversy. The Bibliotheca Alexandrina was inaugurated in 2003 near the site of the old Library.

Giza.-Giza is most famous as the location of the Giza Plateau: the site of some of the most impressive ancient monuments in the world, including a complex of ancient Egyptian royal mortuary and sacred structures, including the Great Sphinx, the Great Pyramid of Giza, and a number of other large pyramids and temples. Giza has always been a focal point in Egypt's history due to location in respect to Memphis, the ancient capital.

The Great Pyramid of Giza at one time was advocated (1884) as the location for the Prime Meridian, a reference point used for determining a base longitude

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FOOD

Aish - Aish is the Egyptian traditional pocket bread similar to pita bread. It is made by mixing wheat flour, water and salt then baked.

Basbousa - A sweet semolina cake which is soaked in a syrup that has a floral scent (made from rose water and sometimes lemon and honey).

Tehina salad - This salad is made by mixing sesame butter, chickpeas, vinegar, lemon juice, pepper, cumin, parsley, and olive oil.

Baklava - Layers of flaky pastry filled with chopped nuts and honey syrup.

Algeria

Algiers.-Sometimes nicknamed El-Behdja  or ("Algiers the White") for the glistening white of its buildings as seen rising up from the sea, Algiers is situated on the west side of a bay of the Mediterranean Sea. The modern part of the city is built on the level ground by the seashore; the old part, the ancient city of the deys, climbs the steep hill behind the modern town and is crowned by the casbah or citadel, 122 metres (400 ft) above the sea. 

Oran.-It is a major city on the northwestern Mediterranean coast of Algeria, and the second largest city of the country. It is closely associated with its neighboring city, Aïn Témouchent, it is a major port and the commercial, industrial, and educational centre of western Algeria. The city has a population of 759,645 while the metropolitan area has a population of approximately 1,500,000, making it the second largest city in Algeria.

It seems that the name "Wahran" (Oran in Arabic) is derived from the Berber word "uharu" (lion").

The legend says that at the time (in 900), there were still lions in the area. The last two lions were hunted mountain near Oran and elsewhere is called "mountain lions".

Constantine.-  It During Roman times it was called Cirta and was renamed "Constantina" in honor of emperor Constantine the Great. Regarded as the capital of eastern Algeria and the centre of its region, Constantine has a population of 448,374 , making it the third largest city in the country after Algiers and Oran. There are museums and important historical sites around the city (one of the most beautiful is the Palais du Bey, in the casbah).

It is often referred to as the "City of Bridges" due to the numerous picturesque bridges connecting the mountains the city is built on.

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Food

Lahm Lhalou.- Algerian Lamb stewed with prunes

Makroud El Louse.-Algerian almond cookies

Couscous