If you are wondering what to eat in Tunisia ? You have arrived at the right place, as this page is about eating like a local. Today, I share 17 traditional and popular Tunisian dishes that must be tried on your travels. You are probably familiar with couscous, but have you heard about Nwasser, Lablabi, or Osban? Tunisian food is one of my favorite cuisines in the world. For this reason, I enjoy sharing a word of this delicious cuisine. I hope you will find something tasty on the list to try on your travels.
What to eat in Tunisia - The best Tunisian dishes
This list contains mainly traditional home food, but most can also be eaten in restaurants. If you are interested in Tunisian street food, check out the previous post, where I share 10 Tunisian must-try foods. Maybe food, eating, and traveling are close to your heart. In that case, here are a couple more posts that you might be interested in.
The traditional Tunisian breakfast
10 popular Tunisian sweets
The best Tunisian drinks you have to try
Are you ready to eat like a local? If yes, let’s go through the list of what to eat in Tunisia.
Top 17 foods to eat in Tunisia
- Couscous
- Ojja
- Chorba Frik
- Lablabi
- Tajine
- Omek Houria
- Kamounia
- Tabouna
- Molokhia
- Djerbian rice
- Tastira
- Ain Sbaniouria
- Osban
- Makarouna
- Tunisian pizza
- Nwasser with chicken
- Mosli with chicken
Couscous
Tunisia has won the prize of the best couscous in the world. So, of course, you must try what it tastes like, right? Couscous, also known as kosksi or kousksi, is the national dish and the most popular meal in Tunisia. These tiny steamed semolina balls are the key ingredient in many Maghreb countries. But still, every North-African country has its own way of cooking it. In Tunisia, couscous is usually served with a spicy tomato-based sauce made of meat, chicken, fish, or vegetables.
One of the most traditional couscous dishes contains spicy tomato-based sauce, lamb meat, carrots, potatoes, chickpeas, butternut squash, and green peppers. Be sure to try it out!
Ojja - What to eat in Tunisia
How sounds spicy tomato sauce with poached eggs and merguez? This is what Tunisian Ojja is all about. Easy to make and doesn’t require many ingredients, and for this reason, it makes a perfect breakfast or lunch. Now, you might be wondering what merguez is? Merguez is the most popular sausage in Tunisia. This spicy sausage is made of mutton and several different spices: homemade harissa, fennel, paprika, garlic, coriander, mint, and caraway. A bit similar to Chorizo.
Ojja is easy to make at home but is also available in many restaurants. There are different versions of Ojja. The most traditional ones are with merguez, the brain of sheep, or only eggs. You can also have a plate of spicy tomato sauce with seafood, shrimp, or turkey/chicken. Scoop this deliciousness with a fresh baguette.
Chorba Frik
I love Chorba, especially one made of fish! Spicy tomato-based soup is made of frik (freekeh) and usually contains fish, lamb, or chicken. Frik or freekeh is a popular ingredient in North-African kitchens, and it’s made from roasting and crushing young green grains of wheat durum. Some like to cook chorba with bird tongue pasta instead of frik. This soup is one of the stable dishes of Ramadan, served at least with briks and grilled pepper salad, Slata Mechouia. Many restaurants serve it throughout the year, but it’s not my first choice to eat on hot summer days as this soup is spicy.
Click here to get recipes for Slata Mechouia and Tunisian brik with tuna.
Lablabi
Lablabi is another delicious Tunisian soup, or maybe I would describe it as a broth. What makes this dish extraordinary and worth trying? The specialty is how this soup is assembled. In the restaurants, you will be handed stale bread that you crumble in a bowl. Then take the bowl to the cook, who will pour a broth with chickpeas on top of the crumbled bread. Next, choose toppings such as harissa, ground cumin, tuna, poached egg/ runny egg, olives, capers, and olive oil. Then the whole bowl of goodness is mixed. Amazingly delicious, and the best part is that it’s also very affordable. This dish is perfect on cold winter days.
Tajine - What to eat in Tunisia
A tajine is a dish served in North African countries: Algeria, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisian. The Tunisian version of this dish is very different compared to others. It has nothing to do with slowly cooked stews and clay cooking pots. When discovering the Tunisian tajine, you might be surprised as it looks like an Italian frittata or Spanish omelet.
The most classic Tunisian tajine is made of eggs, potatoes, onion, garlic, parsley, grated cheese, happy cow cheese, salt, pepper, and turmeric. Then according to your preference, add chicken, tuna, minced meat, shrimps, or spinach. This dish is typical everyday food in Tunisian homes.
Click here to get a recipe for traditional Tunisian chicken tajine.
Omek Houria
Omek Houria, a Tunisian spicy carrot salad, is a traditional dish. In its basic form, Omek Houria is made of carrots, homemade harissa (harissa arbi), olive oil, and salt. Some like to add flavor with garlic, spices like caraway or coriander, and vinegar. The dish can be garnished with drizzled olive oil, chunks of tuna, halved egg, chopped parsley, sliced olives, or capers. This piquant carrot salad is a simple everyday food in Tunisia. Usually, Omek Houria is often served with bread and fried fish.
Click here to get a recipe for Omek Houria.
Kamounia
Kamounia very typical Tunisian dish and is made frequently in every household. The kamounia is made of lamb liver and beef cooked in spicy tomato sauce. Some like to add other internal organs, such as the heart and kidneys. Sprinkle chopped onions and parsley on top of the dish and enjoy with fresh bread.
Tabouna - What to eat in Tunisia
Tabouna is a traditional Tunisian bread. Usually, made of wheat flour and semolina. The baking method gives it a unique taste, as Tabouna is baked in the walls of a clay oven. Freshly baked Tabouna is definitely worth trying. Just dip it in olive oil or any other delicious sauce. It’s my favorite bread in Tunisia.
Molokhia
Mloukhia or molokhia is a powder made of the herb Jew’s Mallow. In Tunisia, this herb powder is the main ingredient in a festive dish called Mloukhia. It’s a lamb stew traditionally cooked on low heat for many hours. The dish has a dark green color and a very unique taste. Mloukhia powder is essential in Tunisian cooking but not the most versatile spice in your kitchen pantry. The name of the dish might sound familiar. Because this dish is popular in many North African and Middle Eastern countries, but every country has its own way of cooking it.
Djerbian rice
Rouz Jerbi, known as Djerbian rice, is a Tunisian dish from the island of Djerba. It’s made of rice, various vegetables, herbs, and spices. Usually made with beef, liver, lamb, chicken, or seafood. Chopping is the most laborious part of this dish. When the chopping is done, the cooking process is somewhat simple. All the ingredients are mixed together and placed into a steam pot. Simmered for one hour and stirred a couple of times while steaming. Ready to be eaten! Very delicious!
Willing to try it? Click here for a recipe for Djerbian rice.
Tastira - What to eat in Tunisia
So long healthy salads, tastira is here. Delicious for sure, but also amazingly unhealthy. Tastira is made of various fried vegetables and eggs. Tomatoes, green peppers, garlic, zucchini, and eggs are fried in a generous amount of oil. Next, there are two ways to cut vegetables and eggs. Some like to cut these into small pieces looking like kafteji, and others prefer to leave vegetables in larger slices. At the end seasoned with salt and pepper and usually served with french fries and fish, liver, or merguez. Yummy! This dish is not only a popular dish to make at home but is also sold in bars and fast-food restaurants.
Ain Sbaniouria
Ain Sbaniouria means Spanish eye. The dish has an interesting name, but it’s somewhat simple to prepare. Minced meat is seasoned with many spices, stuffed with hard-boiled eggs, and shaped in a roll. The cooked meat roll is served with tomato sauce. Easy to make at home if you are looking for simple recipes. Yesterday, I made this dish but as usual, I forgot to take a picture. Next time with better memory.
Osban
There is something I like very much about Tunisian food culture is that they use most parts of the animal. If the animal is slaughtered, it’s better to use it totally and not only meat parts. A perfect example of this kind of cooking is osban/usban. If you don’t like internal organs on your plate, then this dish is not for you. This laborious dish is made on Eid al-Adha as preparing this dish requires a great quantity of meat and intestines. Lamb’s stomach pouches are filled with lamb meat, liver, lungs, intestines, rice, vegetables, and various spices. The pouches are cooked and served, for example, with couscous. If you are curious to try this dish, the best chances are when visiting Tunisian during Eid al-Adha.
Makarouna
Almost every country has its version of macaron with some sauce. In Tunisia, the dish is called makarouna and it’s made of macarons that are slightly thicker in this dish. The cooked macarons are covered with spicy tomato sauce containing various spices, harissa, garlic, green peppers, and beef or chicken. This traditional dish is sold in many restaurants if you want to try it.
Tunisian pizza
What makes Tunisian pizza special? Tunisian homemade pizza is baked in the oven, for example, with cheese, tomato sauce, and slices. After that is added tuna, chopped parsley, boiled egg, and olives. You can put the pizza back in the oven just for a couple of minutes, but usually, you enjoy it without cooking further. Very tasty and easy to make at home.
Nwasser with chicken
Nwasser is the name of a popular Tunisian chicken dish. Made of “pasta” called nwasser, chicken, vegetables, and spicy tomato sauce. Super delicious meal! I always buy nwasser from Tunisia as it is not widely sold outside Tunisia. Nwasser pasta dough is made of semolina, flour, water, oil, and salt. The dough is rolled thinly and sprinkled with starch. Then it is dried under the sun for a couple of hours. After that, the dough is folded and cut into squares of 1*1 cm. Definitely, try it on your travel! It is sold in restaurants that serve traditional Tunisian food.
Try traditional Tunisian specialties in Tunis:
Omek Sanafa
Dar El Jeld
Fondouk El Attarine
Dar Fatma
Mosli with chicken
Mosli, chicken, and vegetable stew is a traditional and popular dish in Tunisia. Simple to make, and for this reason, it makes excellent everyday food. Mosli is a stew made of chicken, various vegetables, and numerous spices that give a delicious taste to this dish. There are a couple of versions of mosli, but the one with a chicken is the most popular. In the other versions, the chicken is replaced with lamb or fish. Like most Tunisian dishes, also this one is eaten with a fresh baguette. If you can’t wait to taste this until your next visit to Tunisia, here is a recipe.
Where to eat in Tunisia
Here is the list that will help you find the best restaurants, cafés, and bars in Tunisia. (For now, I have just lists focusing on Tunis. Slowly but surely, I will expand it to other cities, so bare with me for now.)
Restaurants and cafes in Sidi Bou Said
The best cafes in Tunis
The best restaurants in Tunis
The best bars in Tunis: after-work and beach bars
The best cocktail bars in Tunis
The best lounges in Tunis
About 2000 words later, the food guide about what to eat in Tunisia is ready. I hope you have a better idea about Tunisian food and what you should eat on your next travel. As always, let me know in the comments if you have any questions. See you again next week.