A Pied Noir Cookbook: French Sephardic Cuisine From Algeria (Hippocrene Cookbook Library)

A Pied Noir Cookbook provides a window into this fascinating cuisine, including such dishes as Couscous aux Haricots Blancs (Couscous with White Beans), turmeric-flavored Boeuf aux Oignons (Beef with Onions), Vol au Vent Chicken (Chicken in white wine sauce), and Mekroud (Date Fritters). These rustic family recipes are complemented with the story of the author’s family, cultural anecdotes, a history of Algerian Jews and the author’s quest to preserve her family traditions.

This unique cookbook relates the story of the Pied Noir or "Black Feet," Sephardic Jews from the North African nation of Algeria. The cuisine of the Pied Noir reflects their storied history: Expelled from Spain, and later forced to flee Algeria, their cooking was influenced by the nations they inhabited, as well as, the trade routes that passed through these areas. Over the centuries, they collected recipes and flavors that came to form a unique and little-known culinary repertoire of dishes marked by Spanish and North African flavors blended with French culinary techniques.