Hadjar's Podiums and a Bowl of Couscous

Algeria has never hosted a Grand Prix, yet a current podium finisher holds its nationality, and its kitchen layers Berber, Arab, Turkish and European traditions.

Algeria's place in our Formula 1 records rests on a single driver, since no World Championship Grand Prix has ever been held there. Isack Hadjar was born in Paris, is described as a French Algerian driver, and carries both nationalities in our data. He arrived in 2025 with Racing Bulls and finished third at that year's Dutch Grand Prix. A move to Red Bull Racing followed for 2026, and he has stood third twice more, in Monaco and in Azerbaijan, across 35 starts so far, which is a fine return for a delegation that fits in a single cockpit.

That second heritage opens onto one of the great crossroads kitchens of the Mediterranean, where Berber and Arab traditions were later joined by Turkish and European ones, each laid over the last. The cooking shifts with region and season, yet the heart of the table holds steady: vegetables and cereals, bread, olive oil, handfuls of fresh herbs and meat, most often mutton. Camel is cooked in the south, merguez sausage descends from the Berber kitchen, and the spice jar runs deep, from cumin, caraway and saffron to blends such as ras el hanout and the local hror.

Couscous is the national dish: wheat semolina, usually crowned with a sauce of beef or lamb and vegetables such as zucchini, carrots and chickpeas, or served dry as masfouf, studded with broad beans, raisins or dates. Soup often opens the meal, and chorba, harira, djari and tchicha are known across the country. The everyday plates are just as inviting, among them karantita, a chickpea flan, and zaalouka, eggplant cooked with tomato, each eaten with bread close at hand.

Sweetness belongs to celebration, from Eid to weddings. An ordinary meal ends with seasonal fruit, but special days bring out makroudh, baqlawa and griwech, fried dough soaked in honey and rolled in sesame, a strong argument for having more special days. For a first try at home, M'semen and baghrir are the gentlest invitation, served with tea beneath a spoonful of honey or jam.

A taste of Algeria

• Couscous, Steamed couscous with lamb and vegetables
• Chorba frik, Lamb and cracked green wheat soup
• Karantita, Baked chickpea flour custard in bread
• Mhajeb, Stuffed semolina flatbreads with tomato and onion
• Felfla, Roasted pepper and tomato salad
• Tajine zitoune, Chicken stew with green olives
• Atay, Sweet green tea with fresh mint
• Cherbet, Lemonade with orange blossom and milk
• Kalb el louz, Semolina cake soaked in orange blossom syrup

Circuits

Drivers

• Isack Hadjar