Algeria: Chorba Frik and Bourek

Chorba Frik and Bourek.

A savory and tangy tomato, chickpea and green wheat stew and a cheesy, herby phyllo pastry.

Ok, everything so far has been delicious but this is my new favorite! This delicious soup was so full of herbs and flavor and was the perfect combination to this equally herby bourek (or borek). Traditionally most Algerian bourek have meat and potatoes, but I wanted to keep mine light, so I found this herb and cheese one and I LOVED it!

I can’t even put into words how much I enjoyed this soup- the tangy tomato-y flavor mixed with the mint, parsley and coriander was unlike anything I’d had before. And then the chunkiness of the garbanzo beans and green wheat was just perfection and made what could have been a very light soup, quite filling and hearty!.

And the bourek was absolutely delicious too- it actually reminded me A LOT of greek spanakopita!

*Edit: As I’m looking back at old posts and researching them I’m realizing that the bourek I made was not traditional- 1) generally their bourek are rolled and 2) this spinach and herb one is not a common variation- next time I will at least include potatoes to keep it a bit more traditional.