Rachid Taha compares his music to a plate of couscous. Interviewed via translator from his home in France, the 49-year-old Algerian-born singer and global punk icon says he was happy to discover that ...

Rachid Taha is an Algerian singing star who mixes rock and rai, a politically conscious style that combines Arabic and North African music with Western sounds. His greatest hits package is a fantastic ...

Iraqi native Nawal Nasrallah is the author of Delights from the Garden of Eden: A Cookbook and a History of the Iraqi Cuisine. Her recipe for Date Sweatmeat is here. Music break: 'Ya Rayah' by Rachid ...