What to eat in Tunisia - 16 Tunisian dishes and specialities

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What to eat in Tunisia? We list 16 Tunisian specialities and tell you about our experiences with food from Tunisia. In Tunisia, you'll find everything from olives and spicy stir-fries to lamb and fish. Join us and taste Tunisia!

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What to eat in Tunisia?

What to eat in Tunisia? We have visited Tunisia twice, on two different press trips. The first time, we travelled around by car, visiting places such as Tozeur, spent the night in tents in the Sahara and discovered the island of Djerba. An incredibly exciting trip! The second time we visited the nice and popular tourist resorts Sousse and Hammamet.

We feel that we had good, spicy and colourful food in Tunisia, and among other things we remember all the starters with bread and olives, together with tasty stir-fries and salads.

Tunisian cuisine

Tunisian cuisine is part of North African cuisine and part of Mediterranean cuisine. Olive oil, lemon and garlic are key ingredients in cooking, and the spicy purée harissa is used both as a starter with bread and olives, and as a flavouring in stews. Here are 16 dishes and specialities of Tunisian cuisine.

1. couscous

Couscous is common in North Africa, including Tunisia. Couscous is cooked with oil and spices and can be served with a variety of side dishes, such as vegetables, chickpeas, meat or chicken.

2. piece

A traditional Tunisian dish, which we have eaten many times as a starter, is piece. This dish is made with filo pastry, which is filled with a savoury filling, folded and then deep-fried. The filling can vary, but one of the most common fillings is egg and tuna. Really tasty!

3. shakshouka

Shakshouka is a North African ragu made with tomatoes, peppers and onions, into which eggs are then poached. A popular breakfast dish, it can be flavoured with cumin, paprika and harissa, among other spices.

4. Tuna and fricassee

You can't talk about Tunisian food without mentioning tuna. Tuna is served everywhere and all the time, including as a starter and in salads. There is also a traditional fast food dish called fricassee, which consists of small deep-fried breads filled with tuna, potatoes and vegetables.

5. Harissa

A very common accompaniment to Tunisian meals is harissa, which is a spicy red sauce or puree made from chilli peppers and garlic. This puree is available in several North African countries, but is particularly popular in Tunisia, where it is often served as a starter with olives and bread. Harissa is also used as a flavouring in stews, soups, sauces and more.

6. Olives and olive oil

Very many meals in Tunisia start with olive, and the olives are often very tasty. Tunisia is also known for its high-quality olive oil.

7. mechouia salad

Mechouia is a Tunisian salad, or rather a stir-fry, made with grilled vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers and aubergines. The grilled vegetables are left to cool. They are then chopped and mixed with olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper.

8. Omek Houria

Omek houria is a Tunisian carrot salad, or rather carrot scramble. To make this dish, carrots are boiled until almost soft, then roughly mashed and flavoured with garlic and harissa. Olive oil is drizzled on top when serving.

9. Chorba, lablabi and other soups

Soups are popular in Tunisia, including chorba with meat or lamb, for example, and blabbermouth with chickpeas. During our travels, we were sometimes served soup as a starter or as part of a meal. For example, we had fish soup.

10. lamb

In Tunisia, people like to eat meat, in the form of beef and lamb, as well as chicken. Pork, however, is not common as Tunisia is a Muslim country. Lamb, for example, can be served in stews or, as pictured, cooked in a clay pot.

11. merguez

Merguez is a sausage made from beef and lamb, usually flavoured with cumin and harissa. It can be eaten with couscous, for example.

12. grilled fish and other fish dishes

Tunisia is a Mediterranean country with a long coastline, so it's not surprising that fish is common on menus. It's often served grilled, but you'll also find many other fish dishes, as well as squid and shellfish dishes.

13. taguella/sand bread

Taguella is a bread that serves as a staple for Tuareg people living in the Sahara. The bread is made from wheat flour and is cooked buried in the hot sand and coals of a small fire. Very, very good!

14. Bambalouni

In bambalouni is a sweet deep-fried doughnut, which can often be bought in small stalls in town. This Tunisian snack is often sugared or dipped in honey. Yum!

15. dates

One thing you absolutely cannot leave out when talking about Tunisian food is dates. Tunisia is one of the world's largest producers and exporters of dates, and the dates here are delicious.

16. Fruit

There is plenty of delicious fresh fruit in Tunisia for you to enjoy. For example, you can feast on peaches, apricots, pomegranates, melon, grapes and various citrus fruits.

Tunisian food in a restaurant

You can find Tunisian food in restaurants all over the country. In cities and tourist resorts, you will of course also find fast food restaurants and restaurants serving food from other parts of the world. In the big hotels in the tourist resorts, buffet restaurants are very common, where you will find a wide variety of dishes.

Drinks in Tunisia

Tunisian food is all very well, but what do you drink? To begin with, it is customary to quench your thirst with water, juice and soft drinks. Tunisia is a Muslim country and it is therefore relatively common not to drink alcohol, or to practice some moderation. There are some restrictions on the sale of alcohol, but generally you can order beer and wine in restaurants, especially in tourist areas of course.

Oil and wine are produced locally in Tunisia. Among the beers are Celtia the most popular brand. When it comes to wine, there are many vineyards, and both red and white wine are produced. Many times it can be really good!

Coffee and tea is widely tipped. If you want to try something truly traditional, Tunisian mint tea is the way to go. You might even want to take your mint tea with a hookah.

What do you eat in Tunisia? What are your experiences with Tunisian food?

All in all, Tunisian food offers deliciously spicy flavours, and is often served on beautiful, colourful crockery. Have you visited Tunisia? What are your experiences with Tunisian food?

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