Algerian soap

Algerian soap
Algerian soap sold by weight in a traditional market in Cheraga, Algiers.
Alternative namesSaboun dzair, Algerian black soap, Algerian brown soap, Algerian liquid soap
Place of originAlgeria

Algerian soap, locally known as Saboun dzair (Arabic: صابون الدزاير) which translates to "Soap of Algeria", is an artisanal soap made using ingredients such as olive oil, fatty acids, and potassium.[1][2][3] Algerians have been crafting this soap through generations-old, natural artisanal techniques, This often involves natural, artisanal processes that do not rely on modern industrial methods.[4][5][6]

Package sold Algerian soap

Algerian soap typically comes in shades of brown, sometimes black, and occasionally yellow, depending on its composition and manufacturing method. It is characterized by its viscosity and semi-liquid state, sold by weight, and displayed in large barrels in herb and natural product stores.[7]

  1. ^ Daumas, Eugène (1858). Mœurs et coutumes de l'Algérie: Tell, Kabylie, Sahara (in French). Hachette. They make black soap with olive oil and caustic soda or ashes from oleanders
  2. ^ Revue de l'Orient et de L'Algérie: bulletin de la Société orientale (in French). Société orientale. 1851.
  3. ^ d'Herculais, Jules Künckel (1893). Invasions des acridiens vulgo sauterelles en Algérie (in French). Imprimerie administratie et commerciale Girale, A. Franceschi, successeur.
  4. ^ Chenntouf, Tayeb (2004). Etudes d'histoire de l'Algerie, 18e - 19e siècles (in French). Office des publications universitaires. ISBN 978-9961-0-0706-8.
  5. ^ Exploration scientifique de l'Algérie: pendant les années 1840, 1841, 1842 (in French). Imprimerie royale. 1848. p. 356. It is true that soap is not rare [in Algeria], as there is not a single village that does not produce it. The oil used in soap-making itself is a local product, with the territory of Beni Abbes covered with olive trees.
  6. ^ L'Algérie vue de l'intérieur (in French). Editions Publibook. p. 67. ISBN 978-2-7483-3678-8.
  7. ^ بوطيبة, نور الهدى (2019-03-19). "المساء ;الصابون البلدي". المساء (in Arabic). Retrieved 2024-06-15.