Salem and kia ora, I’m Bronnie – a vegan from Aotearoa New Zealand. I recently visited Tunisia for the first time and can safely say it won’t be the last! By far the best part of my experience was the generosity of the people I met, including the outstanding hospitality and Tunisian Vegan food.
I came with no expectations for vegan food and was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to get cheap, flavoursome options. Don’t be misled by vegan blogs talking about classic middle eastern foods like falafel and hummus – I did not see either during my entire travels. Instead, Tunisia has its own cuisine that reflects its unique Mediterranean geography at the crossroads of Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
I enjoyed learning about new dishes in Tunisia that were refreshingly unlike anything I’d ever had before.
I was only in Tunisia for a month, and I didn’t visit the south, so obviously this list will be far from complete. But I hope that by giving you an idea of what I would eat in a day so you can stay well-fueled for your adventures, cycling or otherwise.
Ordering Tunisian vegan food
I don’t speak French or the Tunisian arabic dialect but I learnt a few key words which made it easy enough to communicate.
Generally I would use the word “vegetarian” because “vegan” gets blank stares. From there I would just proceed to list all the other things I don’t eat like “fromage”, “lait”, “œuf/omlette”, “ton” and “escalope”, either using “no” in French or “la” in Tunisian.
Without fail people will look at you like you are crazy for ordering a dish without the “best” parts, but if you’re vegan then you’re used to that by now!
The best thing is that, unlike a lot of the restaurants back home who refuse to lower the price when removing animal products, street vendors will often charge you less because the most expensive ingredients aren’t included.
And of course, it’s important that you learn “saha” like “bon appetite”, and “bnin” for “delicious” (if you really mean it say “bniiiin” or “bnin barsha”!)
Vegan Tunisian Breakfast
Two fantastic and accidentally vegan breakfasts are “droo” and “Bsissa”.
“Droo” is a warm sourghum porridge that can be topped with dried fruit, nuts and even halva! It can be quite sweet but you can ask for it sugar free (if you know how to do that 😂)
By far my favourite though was Tunisian Vegan Bsissa. A powder made from roasted and ground grains and pulses flavoured with spices like fennel and anise. You combine the powder with outrageous quantities of olive oil until it forms a consistency like peanut butter.
Top it with pomegranate or dates and it becomes like a smoothie bowl that you eat with a spoon. It’s savoury but sweet, sticky and caramel, and packed full of nutritional value – perfect for if you’re exercising. You can buy your own Bsissa powder from spice shops (bring your own container to be a low waste legend!). If you’re bike packing or hiking, it is very light to carry and keeps well.
Fact: Tunisia is a world-leading producer of olive oil, with over 80 million olive trees. Harvesting is only possible by hand, and it takes 4-8kgs of olives to make 1 litre of oil. I did some olive harvesting while in Tunisia and will safely never complain about the price of olive oil again!
Lunch – Street Food
Tunisia has a range of street foods that are easy to veganise. And, costing around 2-4TND each (€0.50-€1), they are an economical way to grab a snack when you are on the go!
One whole catergory of street food is what I like to classify as the sandwich family. Because these are usually constructed before your eyes, you can easily point to what ingredients you do/don’t want inside. By the time you have asked for typical fillings to be removed like tuna, egg, cheese, mayonnaise, meat and scallops, you end up with harissa, slata mechwiya (roast vege salad), tomatoes, lettuce, onions and fries.
Which, it occurs to me as I now write this, that the only thing left to distinguish between these relatives is the different kinds of bread they use…
Chapati – flat circular soft bread (not to be confused with chapati from India!)
Kaftaji – baguette or a semi-circle soft white bun
Fricasse – tiny deep-fried buns
Sandwich – lucky dip (some places just serve a vague “sandwich” like this one I got near Dougga, which was delicious!)
Mlewi – a sumptious roti wrap (my favourite!)
If you happen to visit Hajeb El Ayoun, make sure to visit this Mlewi shop near the Iron Gym where the young girl working there will love to practice her English and maybe even teach you how to make Mlewi!
Obviously a lot of the flavour comes from the Harissa, which means if you don’t like spice your sandwiches are starting to look a little bit sad… And needless to say these aren’t hugely nutritious options. But, if you are out and about they are great filling options on a budget and can be found on every corner.
Other, sit-down street food options are macarone (Tunisian pasta) and lablabi.
Lablabi, my absolute favourite, is an experience. Firstly, you are given a piece of bread which you must rip into tiny pieces in a bowl. Then, you give your bowl back to the kitchen where boiled chickpeas and water are ladled over the bread. Cumin, olive oil, harissa and garlic are generously sprinkled on top. You then mix it all together and the end result is a thick, hot, spicy, comforting stew. (Remember to ask for no egg).
Speaking of the sandwich family, in Bizerte I tried a Lablabi sandwich – which felt like the ultimate street food fusion.
Fact: baguettes are everywhere in Tunisia and are sold at a low, fixed price due to flour subsidised by the state. The subsidy and the associated civil unrest in the 1980s is an important part of Tunisia’s history and continues to be a live political issue.
Dinner
Now, full disclosure, I actually didn’t eat out at many sit-down restaurants during my time in Tunisia and, the few times I did, it was much more difficult to find vegan options than with street food. What I was lucky enough to enjoy was a variety of home cooked stews and dishes. From couscous to rice to shakshuka and various stews, each one was brimming with the signature flavours of harissa, green pepper, tomato and caraway.
If you get the opportunity to stay with a family or volunteer during your time, I cannot recommend it enough. Doing so allowed me to learn so much more about Tunisian culture, including trying veganised versions of dishes I would never have been able to find in a restaurant. If you don’t have time to volunteer, consider supporting El Berima in Mornag who offer authentic home cooked food on their farm.
Selim’s mum at Nomadic bike is also a talented home chef. For our community dinner she made “Ojja” (kindly removing my portion before adding the eggs). Everyone then stood around the table and ate the “Ojja” with bread from a big communal frypan. After dinner, Selim’s cousin Toutou showed off her angelic voiced as we played some songs on the guitar.
Tunisian Vegan Sweets and Snacks
I didn’t sample all of the traditional sweets,
but I did try makroudh – date paste encased in semolina – and the famous, doughnut-like bambalouni at Sidi Bou Said. This blog gives a more detailed breakdown of which ones may or may not be vegan.
What you will also find are a range of patisserie stores. Although a remnant of the French colonial legacy, pastries are now just as much a part of the Tunisian culture, with some of the world’s most talented pastry chefs coming from Tunisia (according to people I spoke to). Because butter is prohibitively expensive in Tunisia, the croissants are made with margarine making them accidentally vegan!* I started many mornings with a croissant for around 1TND (€0.25)!
On my first day at Nomadic bike we took a very relaxed biking trip around La Goulette and up to La Marsa, stopping off at bakeries and coffee shops along the way. I don’t drink coffee, but loved the sweet black Tunisian tea and freshly squeezed orange juice.
What fruit is available will likely depend on the time of year, but when I was there in winter the markets were packed with juicy oranges and creamy dates. If you enjoy home baking, try this great vegan orange and date scone recipe. I made these for people on multiple occasions during my trip because, unlike some vegan baking recipes, they contain ingredients that are easy to find in Tunisia.
2 3/4 cups plain flour with
5 tsp baking powder mixed in
2 tsp orange zest
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 oat milk (you can’t find alternative milks in the supermarket but it is quick and easy to make your own!)
2 Tbpsn olive oil
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl with a spoon before lightly kneading into a loose ball. Spread dough out on a floured surfance into a rectangle about 1-2 inch thick. Cut into 8 squares and space out on a greased baking tray. Brush with oat milk and place in the oven at 200°C (400°F) for around 20 minutes. Scones are done when you tap the underside and it sounds hollow.
sahha!!
There are a lot of things to enjoy about cycling or backpacking in Tunisia, and food is definitely one of them! Don’t get me wrong, Tunisia is far from a vegan haven – it’s not uncommon to see entire cow’s heads hanging out the front of butchers’ stores. But there are a number of local options that you can quite easily enjoy while being kind to the planet, animals and your wallet.
*After writing this I had someone rightly point out that some margarines aren’t vegan as they can contain milk or animal fats. If you go to a patisserie where they are baking onsite then you may be able to ask to inspect the lable.
