Recipes › Tunisian
Tunisian cuisine
Every Tunisian dish we have, with the recipe for each — 27 of them, each one written for this site rather than adapted from anybody else's.
By protein
- Chicken (1)
- Lamb (4)
- Fish (7)
- Shellfish (1)
- Egg (8)
- Vegetarian (7)
- Vegetables (3)
- Desserts (4)
- Pastes, sauces and basics (7)
By region
- Mediterranean recipes (750)
- African recipes (119)
Every Tunisian dish
- Assidat Zgougou, sourced from Tunisia. The pine seed is ground and then strained through muslin, because the husk will never soften. vegetarian.
- Bambalouni, sourced from Tunisia. A hole is pushed through with the thumb and widened by spinning it on the finger, so the ring is thin and uneven. vegetarian.
- Berkoukes, sourced from Tunisia. The semolina is rolled into pellets the size of peppercorns, several times larger than couscous. Lamb.
- Blunkett Salad, sourced from Tunisia. The bread is torn and soaked in the dressing rather than fried, so it goes soft on purpose. Fish, Egg.
- Brik, sourced from Tunisia. A whole raw egg goes in and must still be runny when it is eaten, which gives about three minutes in the pan. Fish, Egg.
- Brik Danouni, sourced from Tunisia. A semolina dough rather than filo, so it is soft and substantial where the filo one shatters. Fish, Egg.
- Bsisa, sourced from Tunisia. Everything is roasted and then milled together to a flour, so it keeps for months and needs no cooking at all. vegetarian.
- Chorba Frik, sourced from Tunisia. Green roasted freekeh is the body of it, and it is added late because it swells to three times its volume. Lamb.
- Chraime, sourced from Tunisia. The name comes from the word for hot, and the chilli is the dish rather than a seasoning in it. Fish.
- Fricassé, sourced from Tunisia. The roll is deep-fried rather than baked, so the crumb stays dense and takes the filling without falling apart. Fish, Egg.
- Harissa, sourced from Tunisia. The peppers are roasted and peeled before they are ground, and caraway is what makes it taste of this and not of chilli sauce. vegan.
- Hrous, sourced from Tunisia. The onions are salt-pickled for weeks first, so this is a ferment and a preserve rather than a fresh paste. vegan.
- Kabkabou, sourced from Tunisia. Capers, olives and preserved lemon are the dish, and they go in at the end so they stay sharp. Fish.
- Lablabi, sourced from Tunisia. The bowl is built at the table on torn bread, and the broth is ladled over it to order. Egg, vegetarian.
- Makroudh, sourced from Tunisia. The filled rope is cut on the diagonal, which is where the diamond shape and the name come from. vegetarian.
- Matbucha, sourced from Tunisia. Cooked down for three hours until the oil separates and the colour goes from red to brick. vegan.
- Mechouia Salad, sourced from Tunisia. Everything is grilled over a flame and then ground together, so it is a coarse paste rather than a salad of pieces. Fish, Egg.
- Mesfouf, sourced from Tunisia. Steamed three times with the grains rubbed between the hands in between, and finished sweet rather than savoury. vegetarian.
- Msoki, sourced from Tunisia. Matzah is crumbled into it at the end, and the vegetables are whatever the spring has given — a dozen of them. Lamb.
- Qâlat Daqqa, sourced from Tunisia. Five warm spices and no chilli at all, with grains of paradise doing the work pepper usually does. vegan.
- Rigouta, sourced from Tunisia. It is made from the whey left over from another cheese, not from milk — which is why it must be used within days. vegetarian.
- Stuffed Squid, sourced from Tunisia. The tubes are filled only half full and pinned shut, because squid shrinks hard and rice swells. Shellfish.
- Tabil, sourced from Tunisia. Coriander leads it, and the garlic goes in dried and ground rather than fresh. vegan.
- Tabouna Bread, sourced from Tunisia. It is slapped onto the inside wall of the oven and bakes stuck to it, so one face is smooth and the other blistered. vegan.
- Tunisian Tagine, sourced from Tunisia. A baked egg dish and not a stew — the pot gives it its name and nothing else is shared. Chicken, Egg.
- Ummak Huriyya, sourced from Tunisia. The carrots are boiled and then crushed with a fork, not grated raw — it is a warm salad, closer to a mash. Egg, vegetarian.
- Usban, sourced from Tunisia. Liver and heart are chopped in with the rice, and it is simmered in the couscous broth rather than cooked alone. Lamb.