THE CULINARY ART, TUNISIAN CUISINE
Turkey to hold Gastronomic, Cultural Days in Tunis
TUNIS, May 11, 2009 (TAP) - Turkish Gastronomic and Cultural Days will be held next May 12-16 in Tunis under the sign of "Discovery." The event is held by the embassy of Turkey in Tunis, Turkish Airlines and a local hotel.
One of the first written references is from an anonymous 13th century Hispano-Muslim cookery book, " : The book of cooking in the Maghreb and Al Andalus, with a recipe for couscous that was 'known all over the world'
Tunisian food
I owe the invention of my favorite hot sauce to the spice traders who brought chiles back from the New World to Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco. But these days our spice traders are on the Internet, where you can find a huge variety of harissas, from mild tomato-y tubes of it to breathtakingly hot versions to marquee mixes laced with rose petals. Although many of these are good, it's hard to beat the stuff I make myself. With terrific dried chiles readily available and the food processor a handy substitute for the traditional mortar and pestle, there's no reason to squeeze your harissa out of a tube either.
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Appetizers
Brik à l'oeuf
Prepared with a stuffing made of boiled and minced parsley and onion. The stuffing is salted and seasonedwith black pepper. Spread a bit of the stuffing in the middle of the brik pastry and add a slice of hard boiled egg. Fold the brik over and put it in boiling oil. It must be browned on both sides. Brik is served with slices of lemon. The stuffing can be replaced with minced meat tuna or seafood.
Entrees
Couscous Mayou
From the region of Nabeul during the month of May, which corresponds to the harvest period, when farmers bring their food with them into the fields for several days.
This couscous is prepared by first moistening it and putting it in a couscoussier until it is cooked wit vapor for a half hour. Put on a serving plate and add dried raisin and caraway so that it is eatable for several days. Garnish with chickpeas, hard-boiled eggs, ronds of orange and sugared almonds.
Desserts
Kaak Warka of Zaghouan
An almond base is basted with rose-water and put inside a strip of fine paste made of flour and salted butter. The paste is then wrapped and cut into small strips and made into circular form. The Kaaks are then cooked in a slow oven for 10 minutes.
Portugese
