The story
Karantika takes its name from the Spanish calentita, 'little hot one', a reminder that Spain held the port of Oran on and off from 1509 to 1792. According to local legend, Spanish soldiers besieged in Oran's Santa Cruz fort around 1703 ran so short of food that they ground their remaining chickpeas, mixed them with water and salt and baked the paste. The dish stayed in Oran as cheap street food, and Spanish settlers spread it across Algeria during French rule. Gibraltar's very similar calentita, its national dish, is a rival claim to the same idea. TasteAtlas named karantika the world's best street food in 2025.
Rival claims
Gibraltar's very similar calentita (its national dish) is a rival claim to the same Spanish dish.
Also known as karantita, garantita, calentica, calentita, karantika algérienne.
On the Meridish menu
Karantika was the street food course on menu No. 14 on October 14, 2026. Its clue in the game, which hints at the place without naming it:
A baked chickpea custard, sliced and served hot in bread with cumin and harissa. Said to come from Spanish soldiers under siege in this port's fort, around 1700.
In Meridish, every dish is pinned to the town or city most widely credited with creating it. A guess within 25 km scores all 100 points. How scoring works.
Sources
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karantita
- algerie360.com/la-karantika-elue-meilleur-street-food-de-la-planete-selon-tasteatlas
Food history is often disputed. Think we've pinned it in the wrong place? Tell us at hello@meridish.com, ideally with a source.
