Culinary traditions are an important part of every country’s culture. And just like any other country, Tunisia has its own culinary traditions and specificities. Each dish or snack has a particular flavor that won’t be found elsewhere. And obviously, we can’t talk about Tunisian cuisine without talking about the unique “Fricassee”, this tiny little sandwich full of flavors.
Even if today, culinary trends in Tunisia have changed to become healthier (well, not always), some traditional meals didn’t change at all and kept their old good flavors. Tunisian fricassee is one of these traditional meals that are simply irresistible. Before the apparition of the modern version of Tunisian sandwich, fricassee was the king of snacks. With its fried yeast dough and flavored stuff, each bite of this little sandwich is a real moment of happiness. Fricassees can be found in any tourist place such as Sidi Bou Saïd, Saf Saf in La Marsa, etc.
If these tasty sandwiches can be eaten in only few seconds, their preparation is a bit more complicated. The preparation of the dough is the most complicated part of the recipe, since it’s not an easy task to obtain a light and consistent dough.
But if you want to reveal this challenge, here are the ingredients that you’ll need for your dough:
- 1 kilo of flour
- 1 cube of baker’s yeast
- 1 cup of extra virgin olive oil
- 2 eggs
- 2 pinches of salt
- Warm water
For the stuff, you’ll need:
- 4 or 5 potatoes
- 2 cans of La Megara Tuna Belly
- 6 eggs
- Pitted green olives
- The Original Harissa
- Mayonnaise (optional)
Preparation:
Obviously you will begin with the dough since it takes some time to get it done.
- In a bowl, put the baker’s yeast and add 2 tbsp of flour and some warm water. Leave the preparation for 45 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in another bowl, mix the flour with salt and then add the eggs and finally the first mixture.
- Add extra virgin olive oil and add some warm water until you obtain soft dough.
- Form small balls with the dough and leave them for at least 30 minutes
- Fry the balls on both sides
- Once the dough are ready, stuff each piece with different ingredients according to your preferences: tuna, potatoes, boiled eggs, green olives and of course Harissa!
If you’re one of the persons that took the risk and prepared some fricassees, leave us some pictures. Bon appetit!
Photo credit: Stephen Conroy
