Tunisian food is both filling and delicious with its fresh ingredients and various spices and herbs. It’s a cuisine with influences from the Mediterranean, mainly the French cuisine but also Italian and Spanish, as well as other North African countries.
It’s a country known for its love of food, but also, its love for spicy dishes. Down below you can read more about the Tunisian cuisine and its traditional dishes.
Lablabi
Lablabi is a Tunisian soup with chickpeas that’s both tasty and filling. It’s made from chickpeas that have been cooked in olive oil, garlic, cumin, salt, harissa and lemon juice.
Sometimes the soup is topped with eggs and tuna before serving.
Couscous
Couscous is Tunisia’s national dish and is called “Kosksi” in the country. It’s a dish that can be prepared in several different ways and can vary depending on where you are in the country.
However, it’s normally served in a deep plate with meat or fish and vegetables on top.
Fricassee
The traditional Tunisian sandwich Fricassee is a must to taste in Tunisia. It’s a sandwich that’s filled with a variety of ingredients, including tuna, hummus, eggs, capers, olives and harissa.
It’s a classic dish when it comes to street food in Tunisia. You can often find this sandwich on menus in sandwich shops and fast food restaurants around the country.
Harissa
Harissa is a spicy red sauce made from red chili pepper, olive oil, spices and herbs such as cumin, coriander and garlic.
This sauce comes from Tunisia, but is also common in several other North African cuisines such as the Libyan, Algerian and Moroccan cuisines.
The sauce is used as an ingredient in a variety of dishes – including sandwiches, soups, stews and couscous.
Merguez
Merguez is a spicy sausage made from beef, mutton or a mixture of both. The red color of the sausage comes from the harissa sauce, which also gives the sausages its spicy taste.
They can be served directly from the grill, in the breakfast dish shakshuka or as an ingredient in sandwiches.
Ojja (Shakshuka)
This is a popular breakfast dish in Tunisia that’s a must to taste. It’s a dish made of tomato sauce, garlic, chili, various spices and eggs.
Sometimes meat is also added to the dish, like the sausage Merguez for example.
Brik
Brik is a classic Tunisian dish that’s served in most restaurants and fast food restaurants around the country. It’s a dish made of thin dough filled with minced meat or vegetables together with eggs.
The dough with the filling is folded, cooked and served steaming hot.
Mechouia
This is another classic dish in Tunisian cuisine. It’s a grilled salad made from cooked tomatoes with green peppers, onions, olive oil, spices, harissa and lemon.
Before serving, the grilled salad is topped with hard-boiled eggs and tuna.
Kamounia
Kamounia is a Tunisian stew made from beef cooked in cumin. It’s a stew that’s both tasty and filling.
The kamounia stew is usually served with rice and chopped parsley on top.
More about Tunisian food
The Tunisian cuisine is a mix of the Mediterranean cuisine and the Berber cuisine. Like many other Mediterranean countries, the Tunisian cuisine is also based on olive oil, tomatoes, spices, fish, seafood and meat.
Unlike other North African countries, Tunisian food is quite spicy. A common ingredient in traditional dishes is the hot and spicy harissa sauce.
Chili, tomato puree, tuna, eggs and olives are also common in Tunisian food.
What’s Tunisia’s national dish?
Couscous is Tunisia’s national dish.
What do they eat for dessert in Tunisia?
One of the most popular sweets in Tunisia is Makroudh. It’s a pastry made from date paste that’s rolled into a semolina dough. The pastries are then baked in the oven and glazed with honey.
Do you have more questions about Tunisian food? Leave a comment below!