Tunisian cuisine is a blend of Mediterranean, Eastern rich and desert dwellers' culinary traditions. the Tunisian Gastronomy was enriched throughout the centuries by the contributions of the people who came in the country. Its distinctive spicy fieriness stems from an ancient tradition of gastronomic culture in Tunisia and reflects successive cultural heritage: Romans, Vandals, Arabs, Spanich, Turkish, Italian, French and the native Punics-Berber people., It is one of the richest and varied one in the Mediterranean basin. Within Tunisia, the local specialties vary from region to region, but there are certain staples found in the country as a whole.
- A particular Tunisian spice mix, known is 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 beneath the rays of the sun. Beef, veal and game are the most common dishes to be flavoured using tabil.
There are dishes for every taste and style. Tunisian cuisine is as diversified although many dishes seem unfamiliar at first, they are all worth at least a taste.
The Traditional Dishes: Couscous, “Melloukhia, Brick, Kamounia, Tagine, salad Mechouia, Barbecue,Ojja ...
Desserts: Dessert is often a choice of fresh fruit or very sweet pastries.
Fruits: such as melon, watermelon, dates, grapes, peaches, loquat and prickly pear. Grenades are true pink caviar served with sugar and drizzled with a little orange flower water.
Pâtisseries: Pastries are delicious (makrouds, samsas, baklawa Gharaib ...) often contain dried fruit: dates, almonds. There is a dizzying array of Middle Eastern-style sweets and cakes to choose from, often containing plenty of nuts and drenched in honey or syrup.
Tunisia has a variety of new tastes to try out. If extremely lucky, a visitor will be invited to a private home to partake of a meal with a family.
If this happens, especially on a Sunday, it is considered a great honor and will certainly be a treat for the visitor’s taste buds.