Tunisia
Traditional Tunisian Dishes
Like all countries in the Mediterranean basin, Tunisia offers a "sun cuisine," based mainly on olive oil, spices, tomatoes, seafood (a wide range of fish) and meat from rearing (lamb).
Couscous
Like in the rest of North Africa, couscous is served on all occasions. It is traditionally eaten with lamb, the semolina must be very fine, and the vegetables (carrots, little white cabbages, turnips, chick peas) only lightly cooked. Depending on the season, the vegetables change: there may also be cardoons, cold broad beans, or pumpkin.
Couscous can also be made with chicken or fish or osben, a kind of round sausage made with tripe and various herbs. Different spices are found depending on the region, like cinnamon (kerfa) or dried and crushed rose buds.
Fish Dishes
Thanks to its long coastline and numerous fishing ports, Tunisia can serve a most abundant, varied and exceptionally fresh supply of fish in its restaurants. Before ordering, restaurant owners will usually show you a large plate of fish including red mullet, sole, mackerel, grouper, sea perch, cod, tuna, octopus, etc.
Many fish lovers will be happy to have their fish simply grilled and served filleted or sliced with lemon juice and a little olive oil. Fish can also be baked, fried in olive oil, stuffed, seasoned with cumin (kamoun), however. Squid, cuttle fish, and octopus are often served in hot crispy batter with slices of lemon.
The most sought-after speciality is poisson complet: the fish you choose is prepared, fried, grilled or sautéed (whichever way you choose), accompanied by chips and either normal or spicy tastira, depending on the kind of peppers used in the dish. The peppers are grilled with a little tomato, a lot of onion and a little garlic, all of which is finely chopped and served with a poached egg.
Read more at: Tunisia: Traditional Tunisian Dishes http://www.globalgourmet.com/destinations/tunisia/traditional.html#ixzz2Cv4lYM8G
Couscous
Like in the rest of North Africa, couscous is served on all occasions. It is traditionally eaten with lamb, the semolina must be very fine, and the vegetables (carrots, little white cabbages, turnips, chick peas) only lightly cooked. Depending on the season, the vegetables change: there may also be cardoons, cold broad beans, or pumpkin.
Couscous can also be made with chicken or fish or osben, a kind of round sausage made with tripe and various herbs. Different spices are found depending on the region, like cinnamon (kerfa) or dried and crushed rose buds.
Fish Dishes
Thanks to its long coastline and numerous fishing ports, Tunisia can serve a most abundant, varied and exceptionally fresh supply of fish in its restaurants. Before ordering, restaurant owners will usually show you a large plate of fish including red mullet, sole, mackerel, grouper, sea perch, cod, tuna, octopus, etc.
Many fish lovers will be happy to have their fish simply grilled and served filleted or sliced with lemon juice and a little olive oil. Fish can also be baked, fried in olive oil, stuffed, seasoned with cumin (kamoun), however. Squid, cuttle fish, and octopus are often served in hot crispy batter with slices of lemon.
The most sought-after speciality is poisson complet: the fish you choose is prepared, fried, grilled or sautéed (whichever way you choose), accompanied by chips and either normal or spicy tastira, depending on the kind of peppers used in the dish. The peppers are grilled with a little tomato, a lot of onion and a little garlic, all of which is finely chopped and served with a poached egg.
Read more at: Tunisia: Traditional Tunisian Dishes http://www.globalgourmet.com/destinations/tunisia/traditional.html#ixzz2Cv4lYM8G
Desserts and Drinks
There are innumerable kinds of desserts ranging from honey cakes stuffed with makhroud dates to fresh figs, chick pea flour cakes, brick layers with almonds and honey (baklava) , bouza (hazelnut or sorghum cream and grilled sesame seeds) served during the Ramadan meals, and assida, a thick flour cream and grilled pine seeds, and, depending on the meals at hand, pistachio, hazelnuts and pine kernels.
These sweets are rarely eaten at the end of the meal, but a little later on in the day with mint tea, or when people visit or meet each other.
During the summer a lot of fresh fruit drinks are drunk, notably orange and lemon juice. One could not forget to mention the traditional mint tea, sometimes served with pine kernels.
Read more at: Tunisia: Desserts & Drinks http://www.globalgourmet.com/destinations/tunisia/desserts.html#ixzz2Cv7ZIwNN
These sweets are rarely eaten at the end of the meal, but a little later on in the day with mint tea, or when people visit or meet each other.
During the summer a lot of fresh fruit drinks are drunk, notably orange and lemon juice. One could not forget to mention the traditional mint tea, sometimes served with pine kernels.
Read more at: Tunisia: Desserts & Drinks http://www.globalgourmet.com/destinations/tunisia/desserts.html#ixzz2Cv7ZIwNN