If you've ever travelled to Tunisia before, you'll know it can be pretty expensive. However, if you fly from London Gatwick Airport and use Gatwick parking, you can save a significant amount, which can be spent on delicious Tunisian foods.
For those unfamiliar with the practice, eating in Tunisia can seem like a strange and foreign experience.
Commonly served dishes may seem unfamiliar or be prepared with ingredients not typically combined in other countries. Of course, specialties may differ between regions, but certain dishes are considered staples of the Tunisian diet.
Though not a universal truth, many Tunisian dishes are spicy. The cuisine in Tunisia is a mixture of Mediterranean cuisine and that of desert dwellers.
A particular Tunisian spice mix, known as tabil, is used in many dishes. Tabil is made of garlic, cayenne or red pepper, coriander, and caraway seeds.
The ingredients are often mixed in a mortar and dried in the sun's rays. Beef, veal, and game are the most common dishes to be flavoured using tabil.
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Table of Contents
Tunisian Cuisine
Appetizers
Harissa is a ubiquitous Tunisian condiment and is often found as a part of every meal. The dish is a compote made of garlic, cumin, olive oil, and dried chilli peppers.
Many restaurants serve it as a dip for bread, and it is often complimentary, with each establishment or family having its unique harissa recipe. One common variation of Harissa involves sprinkling tuna on top of the dish.
Brik is one of the most common appetizers served in Tunisia. These are essentially fried triangle pastries filled with olive oil, parsley, egg, and tuna, and often served with lemon to be squeezed on top. This is usually a favorite appetizer among tourists.
Main Courses
Famous the world over, couscous is a staple in Tunisian cuisine and is considered the country's most iconic dish.
Tunisian couscous is made from finer grains than many other forms of couscous, and often includes harissa. It is commonly served with various meats, peppers, chickpeas, potatoes, and carrots.
The most common meat is lamb, but some restaurants and dishes use chicken or fish. The best couscous is served in private homes on Sunday.
Ojja is a spicy stew made of meat, olive oil, garlic, peppers, tomatoes, harissa, and egg. It is often served in fast food restaurants, generally in a double serving meant for two people.
The most common type of ojja is made with small sausages, but variations include those made with lamb, beef, or seafood. In some places, vegetarian ojja can be ordered.
Desserts
Fruit is heavily consumed in Tunisia as a dessert, but there is also a variety of honey, nut, and pastry sweets that are considered traditional Tunisian desserts. Makroudh has a date filling. Baklava, also known as Balkawa in Greece, is filled with chopped nuts.
A New World of Tastes
Tunisia offers a variety of new tastes to try. If extremely fortunate, a visitor may be invited to a private home to share a meal with a family. If this happens, especially on a Sunday, it is considered a great honor and will undoubtedly be a treat for the visitor's taste buds.
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