What to eat in Tunisia - 17 classic dishes you must try

Writer: Helena Bergström

Updated: May 2026 | What do you eat in Tunisia? We list 17 Tunisian specialties and tell you about our experiences with food from Tunisia. In Tunisia you will find everything from olives and spicy dishes to lamb and fish. Come and taste Tunisia!

What to eat in Tunisia - a quick overview

We have previously written about Turkish food and Moroccan food - Now it's time to take a closer look at Tunisian cuisine! In Tunisia, food is flavourful, often spicy and clearly influenced by the Mediterranean. Here are some typical examples of what to eat in Tunisia:

• Potholes: Slow-cooked dishes and tomato-based stews
• Basic dishes: Couscous with meat, fish or vegetables
• Small dishes: Salads and mixes, often with tuna or eggs
• Bread: Different types of light bread that are served with most things
• Sweets and drinks: Mint and sweet pastries

We feel that we got good, spicy and colourful food in Tunisia, and among other things, we remember all the starters with bread and olives, along with savoury stir-fries and salads.

Typical Tunisian cuisine - 17 classic dishes

Here we list Tunisian dishes that are interesting to try, including snacks, sweets and drinks.

1st Mechouia Salad

A Tunisian salad, or rather a stir-fry, made with grilled vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers and aubergines. The grilled vegetables are left to cool. They are then chopped and mixed with olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper.

2. Omek Houria

A Tunisian carrot salad, or rather carrot scramble. To make this dish, carrots are boiled until almost soft, then roughly mashed and flavoured with garlic and harissa. Olive oil is drizzled on top when serving.

3. Olives and olive oil

Very many meals in Tunisia start with olive, and the olives are often very tasty. Tunisia is also known for its high-quality olive oil.

4. Harissa

A very common accompaniment to Tunisian meals is harissa, which is a spicy red sauce or puree made with chilli peppers and garlic, among other ingredients.

This puree is available in several North African countries, but is particularly popular in Tunisia, where it is often served as a starter with olives and bread. Harissa is also used as a flavouring in stews, soups, sauces and more.

5. Tuna and fricassee

You can't talk about Tunisian food without mentioning tuna. Tuna is served everywhere and all the time, including as a starter and in salads. There is also a traditional fast food dish called fricassee, which consists of small deep-fried breads filled with tuna, potatoes and vegetables.

6. brick

A traditional Tunisian dish, which we have eaten many times as a starter, is piece. This dish is made with filo pastry, which is filled with a savoury filling, folded and then deep-fried. The filling can vary, but one of the most common fillings is egg and tuna. Really tasty!

7. Chorba, lablabi and other soups

Soups are popular in Tunisia, including chorba with meat or lamb, for example, and blabbermouth with chickpeas. During our travels, we were sometimes served soup as a starter or as part of a meal. For example, we had fish soup.

8. couscous

Common in North Africa, and also in Tunisia. Couscous is cooked with oil and spices and can be served with a variety of accompaniments, such as vegetables, chickpeas, meat or chicken.

9. Shakshouka

A North African ragu made with tomatoes, peppers and onions, into which eggs are then poached. A popular breakfast dish, it can be flavoured with cumin, paprika and harissa, among other spices.

10. lamb

In Tunisia, people like to eat meat, in the form of beef and lamb, as well as chicken. Pork, however, is not common as Tunisia is a Muslim country. Lamb, for example, can be served in stews or, as pictured, cooked in a clay pot.

11. merguez

A sausage made from beef and lamb, usually flavoured with cumin and harissa. It can be eaten with couscous, for example.

12. grilled fish and other fish dishes

Tunisia is a Mediterranean country with a long coastline, so it's not surprising that fish is common on menus. It's often served grilled, but you'll also find many other fish dishes, as well as squid and shellfish dishes.

13. taguella/sand bread

A bread that serves as a staple for Tuareg people living in the Sahara. The bread is made from wheat flour and is cooked buried in the hot sand and coals of a small fire. Very, very good! If eaten with meat and vegetables, it often counts as a main course.

14. Bambalouni

A sweet deep-fried doughnut, which can often be bought in small stalls in town. This Tunisian snack is often sugared or dipped in honey. Yum!

15. dates

One thing that you absolutely cannot leave out when talking about Tunisian food is dates. Tunisia is one of the world's largest producers and exporters of dates, and the dates here are delicious.

16. Fruit

There is plenty of delicious fresh fruit in Tunisia for you to enjoy. For example, you can feast on peaches, apricots, pomegranates, melon, grapes and various citrus fruits.

17. Tunisian coin date

An important part of the country's culinary culture, it is often served as a finishing touch to a meal or when entertaining guests. It is usually made with green tea, fresh mint and a generous amount of sugar, giving it a fresh yet sweet flavour.

Tunisian food in a restaurant

You can find Tunisian food in restaurants all over the country. In cities and tourist resorts, you will of course also find fast food restaurants and restaurants serving food from other parts of the world. In the big hotels in the tourist resorts, buffet restaurants are very common, where you will find a wide variety of dishes.

Beer and wine in Tunisia

Tunisia is a Muslim country and it is therefore relatively common among its inhabitants not to drink alcohol, or to practice some moderation. There are some restrictions on the sale of alcohol, but generally you can order beer and wine in restaurants, especially in tourist areas.

Beer and wine are produced locally in Tunisia. Among the beers are Celtia the most popular brand. When it comes to wine, there are many vineyards, and both red and white wine are produced. Read more here about Beer and wine culture in Tunisia.

More about food in other countries

Here you can find more stories about food in different countries:

• Greek food - 25 Greek dishes
• Moroccan food - 17 Moroccan dishes
• Egyptian food - 25 Egyptian dishes
• Turkish food - 2o Turkish delicacies
• Uzbek food - 12 Uzbek specialities