I was born and raised, in a tiny tranquil village of Aith-Irathen in the mountainous region of Kabylie, northeast of Algiers, Algeria. Since I was the youngest of my siblings, all the women of my family kept a close eye on me. One way I had to keep me occupied was to spend lots of time in the kitchen because that is the center of our universe…our home.
Surrounded by women prepping and preparing all the elements of our daily meal was intriguing and pleasurable. When there were festivities ahead, the preparation would go into overdrive with everyone coming together to make conscientiously elaborate dishes. Often the women would sing praises to the Lord and ask for blessings for our meal.