Tunisia
North Africa’s spiciest table: harissa-fired couscous, tuna-egg street snacks and grilled salads shaped by Mediterranean and Berber traditions. That is the short version of what Tunisia cooks. Look for Couscous (steamed semolina often crowned with fish, in harissa-red spicy broth), Brik (shatteringly crisp malsouka pastry around runny egg, tuna, capers and parsley) and Harissa (fiery sun-dried chili and garlic paste seasoning nearly every Tunisian dish). Tunisia joined Algeria, Morocco and Mauritania in the 2020 UNESCO listing of couscous knowledge; Tunisian versions are reddened with harissa and often built on fish. This atlas has 44 Tunisia dishes catalogued below, from everyday cooking to food kept for festivals and special occasions.
44 dishes.
Tabounachewy flatbread slapped onto the walls of a terracotta oven
Tastirafried green peppers, tomato and garlic scrambled with egg
Testourifirm salty sheep's-milk cheese, sliced and grilled or eaten with olives
ThibarineAmber date and herb liqueur drunk as a digestif
Torshisalt-brined turnips, carrots, limes and peppers, stained pink with beetroot
Tunisian saladdiced cucumber, tomato, onion and apple with tuna and mint
Yo-yoorange-scented doughnut rings fried and soaked in honey syrup
ZrirSesame, honey and nut paste eaten by the spoonful from a glass-
Hrous
Salted onion and dried-chili paste fermented for weeks, used like a stock. A fermented & pickled recipe from Tunisia.
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Kaak Warka
Delicate almond-paste rings scented with rosewater, the Tunis wedding pastry. Ready in 1 hour 30 minutes prep and 20 minutes…
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Kaddid
Mutton strips salted with coriander and chili, sun-dried and stored in fat. A charcuterie & cured recipe from Tunisia.
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Kafteji
Chopped fried peppers, tomatoes, squash and potato with egg. Ready in 25 minutes prep and 35 minutes cooking. Serves 4.…
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Koucha
Lamb shoulder baked in a clay dish with potatoes, turmeric and peppers. Ready in 25 min prep and 2 hours…
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Legmi
Date-palm sap, sweet when fresh and mildly alcoholic within hours of tapping. A wine & spirit recipe from Tunisia.
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Madfouna
Chard, white beans and meat stewed slowly with cumin and coriander. Ready in 30 min prep and 2 hours cooking.…
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Makroudh
Kairouan’s date-filled semolina diamonds, fried and soaked in honey. Ready in 1 hr prep and 30 min cooking. About 40.…
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Marka hlowa
Sweet lamb stew with quince, prunes or dried fruit and cinnamon. Ready in 30 minutes prep and 2 hours cooking.…
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Mhamsa
Large hand-rolled couscous grains simmered in a spicy lamb and chickpea broth. Ready in 1 hour prep and 1 hour…