Tunisian Recipes

Tunisian cuisine is a North African tradition that brings together indigenous Berber customs, the Andalusian Islamic heritage, 300 years of Ottoman influence, and the baguette and pastry culture left over from the French colonial period (1881 to 1956). Tatonia features a variety of Tunisian recipes, led by couscous (a North African classic, jointly registered as UNESCO 2020 ICH), brik (a closed pastry, with egg plus tuna plus parsley inside, deep-fried), shakshuka (claimed to be Tunisian in origin, a shared North African classic), and harissa (a hot pepper sauce, the national signature). UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage: in December 2020, couscous received a joint registration by the four countries Algeria, Mauritania, Morocco, and Tunisia; a recognition of shared regional cultural heritage. The national sauce harissa, the classic: dried red hot peppers plus coriander plus cumin plus garlic plus dried mint plus salt plus olive oil, with the roasted dried peppers traditionally pounded in a stone mortar; in 2022 Tunisian harissa received its own separate UNESCO ICH registration. Tunisia grows 5 different hot pepper varieties; classic harissa is made with the nâbeul pepper (medium hot), with a capsicum Scoville between 5,000 and 25,000. Brik is a classic Tunisian street food; the classic formula is malsouka pastry plus a fried egg plus tuna plus capers plus parsley plus nuts plus olives inside plus 1 to 2 minutes of deep-frying in 180°C oil plus a crisp exterior with the egg yolk kept runny. Shakshuka is a classic across North Africa (with a Tunisian origin claim, also shared by the Levant and Egypt); the classic formula is tomato plus pepper plus garlic plus harissa plus egg plus a hot iron pan. This page features the national classics couscous and harissa along with the street food repertoire of brik and shakshuka.