Algerian vs Thai food & cuisine

Algerian food depends a lot on region and season, but vegetables, cereals and olive oil shape most meals. Bread, dairy and fresh spices show up everywhere, especially in slow-cooked dishes like couscous, soups and tajines. Sauces are key: tomatoes, onions and herbs simmer together, then get soaked up with bread or poured over couscous. Meat isn’t always available, especially in rural areas, yet it holds big importance for celebrations and family gatherings.

At its core, Thai cuisine consists of lightly prepared yet boldly flavored dishes, highlighted by herbs and aromatics. Thai meals are built on jasmine rice, noodles, fish, seafood, and then various fermented fish products, chilies, lime, coconut milk, palm sugar, lemongrass, galangal, Thai basil, and many more characteristic spices layer the complexity of flavors.

Thailand is constantly ranked among the world’s spiciest cuisines.

Durum wheat dominates Algerian cooking; it’s high in protein and gluten. Bread carries deep meaning here, seen as a symbol of life and abundance. People enjoy many types: round khubz, semolina flatbread kesra, stuffed batbout, and of course the French baguette.

Couscous is the national dish and part of UNESCO’s cultural heritage. Preparing it takes patience: the semolina steams several times in a couscoussier and gets fluffed between stages. It’s served with a rich stew of meat, vegetables or chickpeas and shared from a large platter.

Rice is foundational to almost every meal: a base to soak up sauces, balance and tone down spiciness, and harmonize contrasting flavors. Jasmine rice is the most common, as they are aromatic, slightly nutty, fluffy, and gets a slightly sticky texture after cooking. Sticky or glutinous rice is popular in Northern Thailand and eaten with hands. Other varieties include red rice and brown jasmine rice.

Algerian cooking often begins with a base of sautéed onions, garlic and tomatoes. Zucchini, eggplant, carrots, peppers, and broad beans form the heart of many stews, tagines, and couscous. Salty, spicy pickles like hot peppers paired with garlic, coriander, turmeric often sit in household pantries.

Typical veggies of Thai cuisine are various eggplants, like the pea-sized makhuea phuang and the egg-sized makhuea suai, often eaten raw. Although broccoli is often used in Asian restaurants in the West, it is rarely seen in Thailand. Here, khana is used, for which broccoli is a substitute. Long beans, bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, cucumbers, Chinese kale, choy sum, sweet potatoes, several types of squash, and winged beans are often-used vegetables. Leafy vegetables and herbs are eaten raw in a meal or as a side dish.

In Algeria’s steppe and Saharan regions, mutton and camel have deep traditions, though chicken and beef are now more common. Camel meat doesn’t show up much in national statistics, yet young camel remains important in the south. Sheep is reserved for celebrations, where collective slaughter and sharing reflect cultural identity.

One beloved barbecue is mechoui — a whole lamb or goat slowly roasted over hot embers. The cavity is sprinkled with the luxurious ras el hanout  and stitched. Méchoui is served at the beginning of the meal; using the fingers of the right hand, the host takes pieces of meat and offers them to guests.

Meat is moderate in Thailand. Pork leads the popularity, followed by chicken, duck, beef, and water buffalo. Goat, lamb, and mutton are rare, except among Muslim Thais in the Southern part.

The Thai diet is traditionally fish and rice-based; meat complements dishes, not dominates. Recent surveys indicate that although about three-quarters of Thais eat meat, around two-thirds express interest in reducing their meat consumption, favoring alternative plant-based proteins instead.

Algerians eat fish and seafood, but less extensively than Tunisia or Morocco. Coastal areas are proud of sardines, mullet, sea bream, octopus, cuttlefish, and shrimp. Sardines, in particular, are cheap, accessible, grilled or cooked in spicy tomato sauces. Inland and Saharan regions eat little or no fish. Algerians season fish simply but boldly, often marinating it with chermoula, a blend of garlic, paprika, cumin, coriander, parsley, lemon, and olive oil.

Pescatarians could thrive with Thai food – hundreds of dishes contain fish and seafood from rivers, lakes, ponds, paddy and tropical seas. Mackerel, Asian sea bass, Nile tilapia, catfish, and fishballs are enjoyed throughout the country. The diversity of seafood is also remarkable. Shellfish, crustaceans served fried, raw, or fermented. Every part of the seafood is valued, from the heads and roe to the tender flesh, often cooked with coconut milk, steamed, or fried with noodles.

Algeria consumes more milk than any other North African country. Two traditional fermented dairy stand out: leben and raïb. They go back to the days before fridges, when fermenting milk helped it survive the heat. Leben is a tangy, kefir-like drink that cools you down in summer. Raïb is thicker, closer to yogurt, and works as a condiment or in cooking. Both show up on the table during Ramadan at iftar.

Traditional Thai cuisine is mostly dairy-free, lactose intolerance is quite common among Thais (around 47% to 80%). Dairy consumption started to develop only in the 1960s. Today, milk, butter, yogurt, and specialty cheeses are available mostly in urban areas. Traditional Thai food largely uses coconut milk as a creamy ingredient instead of dairy milk.

Algerian desserts are famously sweet, often soaked in syrup. Serving sweets is a sign of respect and hospitality, so people grow up linking sugary flavors with comfort and tradition.

Almonds, pistachios, walnuts, dates and figs show up frequently. Cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom, along with orange or rose water, give desserts an exotic aroma. Many are flaky pastries with layers and fillings, decorated with real care.

Coconut milk is an absolute staple (coconuts are reported under ‘oilcrops’ in FAO data). Its extensive use was likely influenced by South Indian coconut milk curry traditions, adapted over time and now inseparable. Thais not only consume the nut (actually a drupe), but also make use of the growth bud of the palm tree as a vegetable. From the stalk of the flowers comes a sap that can be used to make coconut vinegar, alcoholic beverages, and sugar.