Most of us have some understanding of international cuisines because they’ve been passed down through families and incorporated into the American diet. The less popular countries require an education when considering international foods. That’s the case with this week’s Saturday night theme: Tunisia
Before this week, the only association I had with the country was from a Cosby Show episode where Cliff Huxtable gets very excited about buying the jazz record “A Night in Tunisia” by Charley Parker. (Don’t ask why I had that odd bit of trivia burned into my brain.) What I learned in researching the country was that it’s the northernmost African country. Forty percent of it consists of the Sahara Desert, and on the other side, the Strait of Sicily separates it from that Italian island.
The influences on the food are part desert, part Mediterranean. Fish, tomatoes, olive oil and spices play heavily into the cuisine and it’s known for very spicy food. Couscous is the national dish, which would be very lucky for me, but I happen to be off this weekend. For those of my coworkers who will be working, Wikipedia provides a great list of foods popular in the country. I won’t pretend to think anyone will pay attention to it though!
Assida Zgougou – a sweet pudding of ground pine seeds topped by a vanilla cream and decorated with grated nuts
Baklava – layers of whisper thin pastry interspersed with ground pine nuts, almonds, hazelnuts and pistachios, bathed in golden butter, baked and dipped in a honey syrup.
Balbaloni – fried sweet donut-like cake served with sugar.
Berber Lamb – Lamb cooked with potatoes and carrots in a clay pot.
Bouza – rich and sticky sorghum puree.
Brik – tiny parcels of minced lamb, beef, or vegetables and an egg wrapped in thin pastry and deep fried.
Chakchouka – a vegetarian ragout similar to ratatouille with chickpeas, tomatoes, peppers, garlic and onions served with a poached egg.
Chorba – a seasoned broth, with pasta, meatballs, fish, etc.
Felfel mahchi – sweet peppers stuffed with meat, usually lamb, and served with harissa sauce.
Fricasse – small fried sandwich with tuna, harissa, olives and olive oil.
Guenaoia – lamb or beef stew with chillies, okra, and spices.
Houria – cooked carrot salad.
Lablabi – rich garlicky soup made with chickpeas.
Langues d’oiseaux or “birds’ tongues”, a type of soup pasta shaped like rice grains.
Khobz Tabouna – traditional oven baked bread.
Koucha – shoulder of lamb cooked with turmeric and cayenne pepper
Makroud – semolina cake stuffed with dates, cinnamon and grated orange peel.
Masfouf – sweetened couscous, the Tunisian version of the Moroccan seffa.
Marqa – Slow-cooked stews of meat with tomatoes and olives, somewhat similar in concept to the Moroccan tajine stews.
Mechouia Salad – an hors d’oeuvre of grilled sweet peppers, tomatoes and onions mixed with oil lemon, tuna fish and hard-boiled eggs.
Merguez – small spicy sausages.
Mhalbya – cake made with rice, nuts and geranium water.
Mloukhia – A beef or lamb stew with bay leaves, the name is from the green herb used, which produces a thick gravy that has a mucilaginous (somewhat “slimy”) texture, similar to cooked okra.
Noicer pasta – very thin, small squares of pasta page with semolina and all-purpose flour, flavored with Tunusian Bharat, a blend of ground cinnamon and dried rosebuds.
Ojja – scrambled egg dish made of tomatoes and mild green chilies supplemented with various meats and harissa.
Osbane – pieces of animal gut stuffed with meat and offal, a specialty from Monastir.
Tunisian Salad – diced cucumber, peppers, tomatoes, onions and seasoned with olive oil. May be garnished with olives, eggs and tuna. Analogous to the French Niçoise salad and Greek salad.
Samsa – layers of thin pastry alternated with layers of ground roast almonds, and sesame seeds, baked in lemon and rosewater syrup.
Zitounia – ragout of veal or other meats simmered in a tomato sauce and onions, flavoured with olives.
Torshi – turnips marinated with lime juice.
Yo-yo – donuts made with orange juice, deep fried then dipped in honey syrup.
