Tunisian Cuisine

For about three hundred years Tunisia was under the reign of France. Hence the mixture of traditions in Tunisian cuisine and its diversity come. It’s truly orientally piquant and pungent but at the same time it reflects French delicacy and refinement.

Tunisian Omelet

Omelets are traditionally considered to be Tunisian national dish. There the French also had a finger in the pie. Tajin — a cheese omelet with chicken or meat, and odja — an omelet with tomatoes are the most well-known dishes. Tunisian cooks often add tunny to these dishes. By the way, Tunisians announce that the word “tunny” originates from the name of their country.

Cuscus — Traditional Tunisian Dish

Cuscus, without any doubt, is the most famous and popular national dish in Tunisia. It is cooked from coarse-ground wheat, which has been processed in a certain way. The name of the dish itself is very interesting — “take a lot of something tasteless and add a bit of something tasty, then mix everything up and you will get a lot of tasty food”. As for this “something tasty”, it may include everything you like — mutton, beef, chicken, fruits. It is quite easy to prepare this dish — just take some coarse-ground flour and stew it in a big colander over a steaming pan where meat is boiled; mostly it is chicken with saffron. Tunisian cooks usually add tomatoes, pepper, onions, potatoes, pumpkin and different herbs to the broth. The latter endows the dish with a wonderful aroma through the steam. Then they stir the broth and the porridge together and cuscus is ready. This dish meets various occasions, one can eat it every day, and no holiday can do without it. Cuscus is eaten from a common plate either by hands or by spoon.

Kharissa

Regarding spices and herbs, Tunisian cuisine is closer to the European one than to the traditional Arabian cuisine. The only pungent seasoning is known as kharissa. It is served in combination with the olive oil in a separate vessel. It tastes quite like adjika, but the difference is that kharissa is not so salty. Tunisians eat this seasoning with bread, dipping small pieces of flat cakes into the plate.

Meat and Fish in Tunisia

Tunisians eat mutton, beef, sometimes meat of camels. The only instance of difference with Europe is pork. There is nothing astonishing in the fact, because Tunisia is a Moslem country. That is why fish and sea products are much more popular than meat, though they are considerably more expensive.

Drinks

Tunisians wash down greasy food with tea. Traditionally Muslims reject alcoholic drinks, but still some dry and table wines are produced there, as well as several sorts of beer, mostly for tourists and exporting. Tunisian national drink is green tea with mint, brewed with hazels or almonds. Tunisians prefer to drink it very hot and sweet. They also like cooled palm-milk. Except these, coffee with cardamom is very popular.

Sweets and Fruits

Tunisians consume much sweets, produced from treacle, different sorts of vegetables and fruits, mostly popular is fruit of cactus.

Tunisian National Dishes

Except cuscus, the Tunisians adore shorba (it is a soup with a great amount of pepper), brick (small patties made from thin paste with minced mutton or beef or with fried eggs and vegetables). To get a better idea of Tunisian cuisine you should taste chackchuck, which represents a kind of goulash with pea-nuts, tomatoes, peas and spices. Between soups very popular is lalably — a thick soup with garlic and peanuts. For dessert Tunisians usually make macrud — a special kind of pie with semolina, dates, cinnamon and grated dried orange peel. Another dainty is malbew which represents a cookie of rice and nuts with geranium water. Also yo-yo is very popular. It is a kind of fried doughnuts with orange juice, glazed with honey syrup.