Restaurants in Oran’s coastal town of Ain El Turk serve paella as part of the local cuisine, after the Algerian city adapted the Spanish dish with Mediterranean ingredients, spices and fish stock. Preparing it in front of visitors reflects the overlap between Oran’s coastal history and culinary heritage. At one restaurant, artisan Djamel Eddine Abassi, known as “Rais”, oversees the preparation of the dish with his sister in large pans.
Djamel Eddine Abassi develops an Oran-style recipe
According to Abassi, his method differs from the Spanish version in how the rice and ingredients are handled. He explains that the Oran recipe involves cooking the rice directly in the broth and sauce, then drying it so it absorbs the flavors, rather than preparing some elements separately. The artisan attributes the dish’s success to the quality of the ingredients, cleanliness and skilled cooking.
Paella reaches a broader range of customers
He also says his project aims to make paella available to different groups of customers despite high fish prices. In his description, it was previously considered a dish affordable only to the wealthy. Families, workers and tourists gather around the family-sized pans.
Algerians living abroad also visit the restaurant during trips to Oran. A cardiologist living in France said he had returned to the restaurant several times specifically to eat paella, praising the dish’s quality and the service. The Oran version is linked to a history of contact between the two shores of the Mediterranean.
Spanish rule in Oran lasted from 1509 to 1792, and the Santa Cruz fortress on Mount Murdjadjo remains one of the most prominent reminders of that period. As paella moved from its Spanish origins in the Valencia region to Oran’s table, the recipe acquired local features, including the use of spices such as ras el hanout, cumin and garlic, along with the slow cooking of rice in fish stock and seafood.
The experience of tasting the dish is combined with visits to Oran’s landmarks, the beaches of western Algeria and its old neighborhoods, including Sidi El Houari. Paella has thus become one way for visitors to learn about the city’s history and its Mediterranean ties.
