What to eat Tunisia? culinary specialties and gastronomy

Tunisia's mild, sunny climate allows for the cultivation of a wide variety of fruits and vegetables throughout much of the year. The most sought-after dates, which grow on palm trees in the Tozeur region, are called deglet an nour, which means fingers of light. Around Gabes, and more generally in the palm groves, one feasts on the sap of the palm tree. The legmi is a palm brandy that must be consumed within 24 hours.

Fish, fried or grilled, abound along the Tunisian coast: La Goulette, the fishing port of Tunis, is renowned throughout the north of the country as is Sfax on the east coast. Mediterranean fish such as tuna, sea bream, sea bass, red mullet, grouper and also mullet, which is very common. The boutargue, commonly known as Mediterranean caviar, is made up of pockets of salted and dried mullet eggs. Its intense taste means that it is grated sparingly on pasta or rice, like truffles. It is very rich in vitamins and minerals. The shrimps of Gabes - as big as langoustines - are famous for their fine flesh. Mutton and lamb are the most cooked meats in Tunisia, without forgetting the chicken. Pork is absent for religious reasons - outside of tourist resorts for Westerners - and beef remains a rather expensive and therefore rarer meat.

Tunisians like to eat spicy, even very spicy, and it is good to avoid the huge green peppers that often decorate couscous. It is impossible to talk about chili peppers when talking about Tunisian cuisine without mentioning harissa. This generously garlicky pepper puree also contains other spices, such as cumin, coriander and caraway, although recipes and consumption vary from region to region. The inhabitants of Cap Bon - where there are many harissa factories - as well as the Sahel and the Djerba region are the biggest consumers. The country even celebrates the festival of harissa and chili in the city of Nabeul, Cap Bon, in October. Tunisians season their dishes with a host of other spices, which are also combined in a mixture called tabil karouia containing caraway, coriander, pepper, bay leaves, rosebuds, ginger, mint and sometimes even saffron, much like ras el-hanout. The latter is also composed of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and green aniseed.

The term " kemia " or " mezze

" refers to an assortment of appetizers from the Eastern Mediterranean (Lebanon, Turkey, Greece). Among this succession of small plates, each more tasty than the other, one can taste hummus, eggplant caviar, various salads based on carrots, potatoes and fennel, olives, vegetables in brine, small fried fish, octopus, snails with chili, dried fruits and a myriad of other products that vary according to the season. Salads are indeed popular. One example is theomek houria, made of crushed cooked carrots, seasoned with garlic, chili, lemon, coriander and olive oil. Otherwise the méchouia (understand grilled) consists of tomatoes, peppers and candied onions, decorated with tuna and hard-boiled eggs. The doulma are simply vegetables - zucchini, peppers or eggplant - stuffed with minced meat and onion. Soups are also popular. The most famous is the chorba, a soup with vermicelli and vegetables with pieces of lamb. Traditionally it is served during Ramadan. The lablabi is a chickpea-based soup, seasoned with garlic and harissa, topped with a soft-boiled egg.

The brick is omnipresent in the country. This ultra-thin and light dough is used to make turnovers of the same name, usually with an egg and tuna filling, which is then fried. Common on the markets, the fricassee is a small sandwich made of a doughnut the size of a milk bread cut in two and filled with harissa, potato, tuna crumbs and green olives. Bread is an important dish in the country, where people eat both khobz talian, also known as " Italian bread " (a white bread rich in crumb) and tabouna (a soft flat bread with nigella seeds).

As in the rest of the Maghreb, couscous is the national dish. A good couscous is the result of the marriage of an excellent semolina, rolled and steamed for a long time, of vegetables well preserved in a very aromatic juice and of a melting meat. The Tunisian couscous is quite similar to that of its neighbors, with the difference that it is seasoned more willingly with a good dose of harissa. The m'hamsa is a coarse-grained couscous with raisins, dried tomatoes and lamb, while the mesfouf is a sweet and sour couscous with almonds, pistachios and dates, reserved for special occasions. Italian influences are more marked than in Morocco or Algeria and pasta recipes are common. One example is makrouna salsa, macaroni served with a spicy beef or lamb sauce. The m'raika sfaxia or couscous à la sfaxienne is richly garnished with fish. Otherwise let yourself be tempted by a kabkabou, a fish stew with tomato, harissa, olives and capers. Very common, the complete fish consists of a grilled fish, French fries, a fried egg, raw vegetables and tatsira

, a tomato compote with green chili and cumin. Dishes in sauce are abundant. One example is gnaouia, a spicy stew of lamb and okra, a green vegetable resembling a chili pepper, but with a taste similar to eggplant, whose viscous juice is appreciated for thickening sauces. A specialty of Douz, at the gateway to the Sahara, lamb cooked in a gargoulette or allouch fél kolla consists of cooking lamb and vegetables in an amphora (gargoulette) sealed for several hours in the embers. The meat comes out incredibly melting and fragrant. More simple, but very tasty, the koucha is a shoulder of lamb with vegetables in a very spicy sauce. Reserved for amateurs, the kamounia is a stew of beef, mutton or poultry offal generously flavored with cumin.

The vegetables are also divinely cooked. Chakchouka is a thick sauce made of tomato, onions and peppers topped with poached eggs. Very similar, the ojja sometimes contains meatballs or pieces of merguez, but without onions. The loubia is a white bean stew with tomato, sometimes containing mutton, while the mloukia is a dark green sauce made of crushed corte leaves that is simmered for hours. Finally, the kefteji

is a mixture of potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, eggs and zucchini that is pan-fried with parsley and spices.

Those who are used to the Moroccan tagine might be a little surprised, because in Tunisia a tagine is more like a kind of quiche without egg paste that contains chicken, mutton or tuna, baked with Gruyere cheese. In the same style, the malsouka

, resembles a Moroccan pastilla, that is to say a cake made of brick sheet which wraps a stuffing made of egg, meat, tuna, cheese or vegetables, before being fried. The Jewish presence in Tunisia is more than 2000 years old and if we had to quote only one recipe it would be the bkaïla - known as dafina in Morocco - served for Shabbat. It is made of beef, potatoes, chickpeas, eggs and wheat.

In the Maghreb, pastries are generally not served at the end of the meal, but are served in an indiscriminate manner throughout the day. The famous makroud, a soft cookie filled with date paste, or the baklava made of layers of filo pastry and dried fruit, generously brushed with syrup. The gazelle horn is a delicate croissant with almond and orange blossom, while the simple bjawia is a kind of nougat with pistachios. The very sweet zelabia is a crunchy orange doughnut in the shape of a spider web, flavored with cardamom and soaked in syrup. The pretty kâak warka are almond rings with a pure white glaze. Very crumbly ghribiya are dome-shaped cookies decorated with a pinch of cinnamon. Theassidat zgougou is a cream flavored with pine nuts and orange blossom that is crowned with dried fruit.

Tunisians are great consumers of coffee. As in most Mediterranean countries, cafés are at the center of life. They mainly serve coffee, tea or soft drinks, although many now serve alcohol. Otherwise tea is just as popular. Tei ahmar is a strong black tea with a hint of geranium water, while tei akhdar is a green tea infused with a few mint leaves that is poured over pine nuts.

If alcohol and Islam - the religion of 99% of Tunisians - do not seem compatible, the country has a fairly flexible policy on this subject. The region's wines have been celebrated since antiquity and Tunisia produces excellent red wines, but also remarkable whites and rosés. The Tunisian vineyard covers nearly 30,000 hectares (mainly table wines) between the regions of Cap Bon, Tunis and Bizerte. There are no less than seven AOC: Kelibia, Sidi Salem, Thibar, Coteaux de Tebourba, Coteaux d'Utique, Mornag and the Grand Cru Mornag. The national brand of beer, Celtia, which has occupied the field for decades, is still going strong. If you like strong drinks, don't miss the fig alcohol, the boukha, or the date liqueur, the thibarine. Extended with sparkling water, it is an excellent long drink.