The Culinary History of Algerian Pastries + Algerian Food in Chicago

Have you ever planned to spend a theme-filled day out? I seem to do it a lot of this in Chicago since there are so many great neighborhoods to explore. For example, there are some great Swedish places to visit in Andersonville (delis, clothing stores, museum and cafes); the Pilsen neighborhood for some Latin flavor; Greektown for the cafes & sweets; and Devon for a taste of Indian food.

Halal Merguez Sandwich at Pomera Grill

Recently, my best foodie friend and I headed out to a program sponsored by the Culinary Historians of Chicago about the history of Algerian pastries- a fascinating topic and one I couldn’t wait to learn more about.

Rachel Finn, founder of Roots Cuisine, a non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of Afrodescendent foodways, gave a talk about her experience with Algerian pastries in France.

She talked a lot about the popularity of interest in the French for Algerian foods and pastries and went on to describe the natural, traditional and common ingredients found in many of them. She talked about things like semolina, almonds, cakes, traditional sweets for Ramadan and ‘Eid and simply the way Algerians eat pastries and how that differs from Americans or even Europeans. It was fascinating and yet there wasn’t nearly enough time to scratch the surface on this topic. To read more about Algerian pastries and Rachel Finn’s work, please visit her website.

Pomera Bakery

After the lecture, my friend and I trekked across town to have a bit to eat at Pomera Bakery, one of the only Algerian places we know of in the city. {There is another one, which I’ll list at the end}

It’s a really small, quiet place with a big menu. I was in the mood for merguez (North African sausage) so I ordered it on a sandwich, which was huge and since we were assured it was halal. And one sandwich to go for my hubby. My friend did the same…

While waiting, we found some interesting Algerian breads that were fresh out of the oven and still nice and soft.

There were a few pastries, too, but it seems as though they sell fast- several people walked in just to order those and left quickly.

They even had smoothies, but I couldn’t imagine having enough room for that plus the huge sandwich and all the pastries Rachel Finn made and gave out as samples.

If you’re in the mood for Algerian food or want to explore just what that is, I would try Pomera Bakery with the expectation that you’ll get simple, hearty food that may take a while to serve, but you’ll be happy you waited around for it, insha’allah.

Pomera Bakery

(773) 545-6411