Nature’s Bounty

Talking about Tunisia, Roman writer Pliny explained: “Here under exceptionally tall palm trees grow olive trees, under the olive trees grow fig trees, under the fig trees grow pomegranate trees and below them vines. And under the vines cereals are sown, to be followed by legumes, then vegetables, all in the same year, and all feeding on the shade provided by another tree or plant.”

This Garden of Eden, a true heaven on earth, produced a way of eating forming the basis of the Mediterranean diet. Already at the time, fruit, vegetables, legumes and olive oil featured prominently in the daily diet of the Phoenicians in the Middle East and of the Carthaginians in North Africa.

Agriculture - products: olives, olive oil, grain, , pomegranate, citrus fruit,The fig , dates ,Grape, almonds, products

Olives: Tunisian olives are known worldwide for their excellent characteristics, like the generous dimension, the great taste, a good balance between pulp and stone. The olive can be whole, stoned, cut in half or stuffed with garlig or peppers.

Extra virgin olive oil is the freshly squeezed juice of non riped olives. It features a very fruity, somewhat spicy smell, allows tunisian olive oil to stand among the best in the world.

Dates: Deglet Nour is the emperor of dates. Branded since 1870, Deglet Nour is known as "the date of shining light" thanks to a light brown color, the sweetness of its appearance and the elegance of its shape. It is almost transparent, up to the stone and suggests an aroma of old ruhm, vanilla and orange flower. It is the most appreciated date in the world, thanks to its unique, honey-like flavour.

The Citrus Fruits: came from South-East Asia and appeared very early in the Mediterranean. The Tunisian farmers were caught of passion for these trees with a gold fruits which marvelously acclimatized with their soil.

Benefitting from an exceptional Tunisian climate (subtropical) Tunisian farmers, with their long tradition of impassioned gardeners inherited from Andalusian ancestors, developed their plantations.

The demi-red "maltaise" orange: is the most renowned tunisian orange. Tunisia is the world's only producer of this fruit. Known as the queen of oranges, it is admittedly the best sweet orange in the world. Her medium caliber and her slightly oval shape, easy peeling, tender and juicy pulp and sweet flavour, balanced by just the right acidity levels makes it by far on of the best oranges in the world.

Pomegranates: The culture of pomegranate is very old in Tunisia. It dates, at least, of the time phenician. Known for their distinctive taste and dietetic qualities, pomegranates from Tunisia seduce the most demanding consumers in Europe and in the Gulf. The area of Gabès in the south is very known for these pomegranates which develop with the shade of the palm trees – date palms of its peaceful coastal oases. As of the Middle Ages, Arab chroniclers and geographers mentioned the exceptional quality of the grenades of Gabès.

The fig: is widely distributed and represents a natural wealth and diversity in all Tunisia. As a seasonal food, fig represents an important constituent of the Mediterranean diet, which is considered one of the healthiest and associated with longevity.

Djebba region is located in the northwest of Tunisia. It is very famous by fig culture. Many specific fig genotypes are very appreciated locally and nationally, namely, “Djebba figs.”

In South-East of Tunisia, it exists wide genetic diversity of fig in some microclimatic areas like Matmata mountain chain which represents a high genetic potential zone with extraordinary orchards of pluvial olive and fig trees.

Grape: has a long history dating back to the Antiquity like most Mediterranean countries with the Phoenicians and Carthage . Grape is grown for processing and as fresh fruit mainly in the northern and north-eastern (Cap Bon) parts of Tunisia. It covers around 25,000 ha out of which 14,500 are for processing purposes.

Because of Tunisia's warm weather, grapes mature earlier in the season than in Europe. Keeping the fruit cool is important to create fine wine, so harvesting is done in the middle of the night and the produce must be secured in refrigeration before the sun comes up.

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