In her book "Culinary Memory of Algeria, History of Recipes" Yasmina Sellam invites readers to explore Algerian gastronomy through the prism of food history, universal gastronomic literature, and the authenticity of a rich local heritage enriched over time, all the way back to the gastronomy of antiquity.

Published by Anep on the occasion of the recently held 25th International Book Fair of Algiers (SILA), this 110-page coffee table book is based on a rich body of research on the history of food, from prehistory and the rules of healthy eating in Confucius's Chinese Empire (5th century BCE) and Apicius's Rome, to the potential of contemporary culinary art.

The author chose to publish what our distant ancestors ate and to rekindle readers' desire to explore this diet by considering "that a dish is the story of a terroir (...) and that Algeria's gastronomic richness is the result of local genius and the influences of other civilizations." Yasmina Sellam, who has moved away from a simple recipe book, questions the reasons why this heritage, passed down from generation to generation, has remained "completely unknown."

This agronomist by training also presents summaries of ancient writings on the culinary arts, such as Babylonian tablets dating back to 400 BC, considered the earliest culinary documents, and which provide "recipes that can be made today."

The author also cites "Kitab Al Tabkh" by Ibrahim Ibn El Mahdi, the first cookbook in Arabic, which unfortunately disappeared, and another eponymous book by Ibn Sayyar El Warrak, which is "the first book to have survived in its entirety."

Yasmina Sellam proposes to trace the history of Algerian culinary art, firstly by looking at the oldest utensils discovered in the few available writings and research that provide information on the diet of the Numidians or on the Umayyad, Abbasid, Andalusian, and Ottoman heritage.

In terms of recipes, the author offers the oldest known examples of Algerian culinary art, such as "Numidian Chicken" and "Stuffed Dates," cited by Apicius, a figure of Roman high society, and Algerian couscous, whose diversity, authenticity, and origins are well established since its classification as a World Heritage Site.

A small selection of authentic recipes is also offered by Yasmina Sellam, who has chosen to highlight the enrichment of Algerian culinary art through the influence of different cultures.

Trained as an agricultural engineer and a teacher at the École Normale Supérieure, Yasmina Sellam opened her guesthouse in 2011, after her retirement, with the aim of promoting traditional Algerian cuisine. A member of the jury for the "Master Chef Algeria" competition, she also appears on numerous television shows to share her little-known or forgotten culinary heritage and healthy cooking based on academic knowledge.