The cuisine of Tunisia consists of the cooking traditions, ingredients, recipes and techniques developed in Tunisia since antiquity. It is mainly a blend of Mediterranean and native Punic-Berber cuisine. Historically, Tunisian cuisine witnessed influence and exchanges with many cultures and nations like Italians, Andalusians, French and Arabs.
Lablabi, the chickpea soup
To enjoy a tasty chickpea-based soup, simple and quick to prepare, we recommend you try the Lablabi soup, whose flavour is accentuated by a fried onion, a little ground cumin, minced garlic and a few splashes of lemon juice.
Time: 30 minutes
Serves 4 – 5
Ingredients:
- 400 g dried chickpeas, soaked for at least 4 hours or up to overnight,
• 1 litre of water - 3-4 cloves garlic,
• 2 tablespoons olive oil,
• 2 chopped onions,
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin,
• salt to taste.
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, black pepper to taste.
• 1-2 eggs.
Preparation
Drain and rinse the soaked chickpeas, then transfer them to a soup pot, together with the water and garlic cloves. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, partially cover and cook until chickpeas are completely tender, an hour or more.
Meanwhile, place a pan on the heat for about a minute, then add the olive oil and swirl to coat the pan. Add the onion and cumin and cook, stirring, for 5-8 minutes, until the onion is soft. Add the chopped garlic and 1 teaspoon of salt, lower the heat and continue cooking for another 10 minutes. Cover and cook on the lowest heat possible for 10 minutes then remove from the heat.
When the chickpeas are very tender, add the onion and garlic mixture. Collect the remaining parts by adding the lemon juice to the pan and stirring. Taste and adjust the salt, adding a generous amount of ground black pepper to taste. At this point, if you wish, you can puree part of the chickpeas with an immersion blender. Cover and let the soup simmer for another 10 minutes or so before serving hot. Usually at the end of cooking it is served with the addition of a cooked or raw egg to taste, or in some recipes even with tuna. (Photo: CC BY-SA 4.0/ Habib M’henni)
Chicken and tomato soup
Chorba or Shorba is an Arabic word meaning soup or stew. Based on chicken, tomato and spices, there are many variations to cook this tasty soup. Excellent all year round, but especially in the winter season, here’s how to prepare it.
Time: 10 minutes.
Serves 5-6
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon flour,
•1 teaspoon ground coriander,
•1 teaspoon ground cumin,
• 1 teaspoon ground paprika,
•½ teaspoon salt,
•½ teaspoon ground cinnamon,
•400 g chicken breasts, - 2 medium onions, diced,
- 1 ½ teaspoons minced garlic,
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil,
- 1 chili pepper,
- 1 can tomato puree,
- 250 ml chicken broth,
- 100 g diced carrots,
- chopped fresh coriander to taste
Preparation
In a bowl, combine the flour, coriander, cumin, paprika, salt and cinnamon. Cover the chicken portions with the mixture and leave aside. In a large pan, cook the onions and garlic in 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat for 4-6 minutes. At this point, place the chicken in the pan and cook over medium heat until lightly browned, stirring often. Add the tomato puree, chilli, chicken broth, carrots and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes or until the chicken is tender, stirring occasionally. Complete with a handful of coriander. (Photo: CC BY-SA 4.0/ Slothtysloth)
