Derssa

Derssa (or dersa) is the pounded base of Algerian home cooking: hot chilli and garlic crushed in a mortar with salt and oil. It gives a tagine, a chakchouka or a kebab marinade its colour and its background flavour. Hill offers a jarred version made in an artisan cannery from hot chilli, garlic, vegetable oil, salt, olive oil and a natural preservative. The jar carries the halal logo and a « Made in Algeria » flag.

For the consumer it saves real time: no more pounding garlic and chilli before every dish. One or two spoonfuls in hot oil at the start of the recipe are enough. The 180 g jar is stored dry and keeps in the fridge once opened.

Why list it

• An Algerian everyday staple, bought out of habit rather than for an occasion, so rotation stays steady.
• Few brands offer derssa in a jar: shelf competition is limited.
• A strong convenience argument for shoppers who cook from scratch every day.
• Halal logo and Algerian origin printed on the jar.
• Complementary to Hill harissa: two different uses, two purchases.

On the shelf

Site it in the North African grocery aisle, between the harissas and the tomato pastes, and highlight it next to semolina, chickpeas and stewing meat. Explain the use to end customers: derssa is fried in oil at the start of cooking, before the meat and vegetables; it also brushes onto kebabs or lifts a cooked salad.