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Top 10 Foods to Eat in Tunisia5 min read

By Tayssir Ben Hassen August 9, 2019
Written by Tayssir Ben Hassen August 9, 2019
Tunisian Shakshuka

If you have made it here, and looking for the top foods to eat in Tunisia, make sure you try the Couscous. And the Shakshuka. And the Brik. And the … heck, just try everything on this list. You won’t be sorry.

Tunisian cuisine is full of flavors. This richness is explained as the country was a major civilization crossing, Berber cultures to Andalusian, Arab populations through the Italians, Jews and Turks.

Even today, the country remains marked by these different traditions. The most common ingredients of Tunisian cuisine are wheat, olives, meat, fish and seafood. Spices and chili are also an integral part of local gastronomy.

Top 10 Foods to Eat in Tunisia

Couscous

Tunisian Couscous
Tunisian Couscous.

By far the most popular dish in Tunisia. It’s the national dish of Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco and is to North Africa what rice is to much of the rest of the world.

Shakshuka

Pumpkin Shakshuka
Tunisian Shakshuka.

Shakshuka is one of the most popular traditional dishes in Tunisia. It’s originated from the Tunisian Jewish cuisine.

It’s actually the go to when in need of a quick yet flavorful food fix. It is often made with a spicy lamb sausage known as merguez, making for an amazing breakfast hearty enough to be eaten at any meal, but it can just as easily be made vegetarian.

Slata Mechouia

Tunisian Grilled Salad
Tunisian grilled Salad.

Slata mechouia literally means “grilled salad” as the vegetables are grilled over an open flame. It’s a very popular dish in Tunisia.

Kafteji

Kafteji
Tunisian Kafteji

Kafteji is a very popular popular dish in Tunisia, served with liver or merguez. It’s made of potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, pumpkin and eggs.

We have a dedicated article that explains how to cook Kafteji in a healthy way.

Lablebi

Tunisian Lablebi
Tunisian Lablebi.

A typical Tunisian dish. It’s a soup of chickpeas, served with bread, olive oil, harissa, salt, caraway, garlic, and lemon.

Makrouna

Tunisian Seafood Pasta
Tunisian Seafood Pasta.

One of the very known dishes that truly represents Tunisia. Makrouna (Tunisian Pasta) is a pasta made in a Tunisian way. Usually very spicy.

Brik

Tunisian Brik

One of the country’s most popular traditional food. Tunisian brik is savory, stuffed “pastry” typically triangular-shaped.

Mloukhiya

Mloukhiya

Tunisian Mloukhia is made of the leaves of Corchorus olitorius, commonly known in the Middle East and North Africa but it is originally a Jew Tunisian dish.

Tajin

The tajine name usually given to slow-cooked dishes made from meat and vegetables. The Tunisian tajine is different, it comes in the form of gratin. Full of cheese and spicy.

Felfel Mehchi

Felfel-Mehchi

Felfel mehchi is a stuffed pepper dish from Tunisia made with bull’s horn bell peppers stuffed with ground beef, cheese, vegetables, spices, and topped with a spicy red sauce.

Suggested reads:

  • Top 10 Tunisian Street Foods
  • 7 Things to Know about Tunisian Food

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Tayssir Ben Hassen

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