? Al-Madfuna is a Jewish dish, and Al-Nawasir is an Andalusian dish.. What do you know about the origins of Tunisian dishes
It is obvious that the kitchen is our place to cook food with all its spices, pastries, oil, olives and all that is delicious of meat, vegetables and grains.. From it dishes come out for the stomachs to rejoice in, but the historical aspect and what these dishes cover the hidden political and social transformations are rarely discussed. Even religious, each people has its "food identity", according to the governor of the Heritage Institute, Dr. Saleh Al-Falihi, for "Ultra Tunisia".
Our interlocutor adds that the kitchens consist mainly of dishes that are the result of what is found in this or that country of agricultural products. As for their names, they are also linked to that society and its linguistic code. For example, Shakshush comes from the word “CHEK” In one of the Amazigh dialects, which means mixing, and because it contains a number of mixed ingredients. It is called Shakshuka, a Tunisian dish, according to jurisprudence.
The original Tunisian dishes are based mainly on grains of wheat and barley .. and they make bread and porridge with it, in addition to their dependence on dry legumes and on sugary materials such as raisins and dried figs, and the common people used them because only the wealthy are able to acquire honey, and the poor compensated for it with those materials, according to Dr. Saleh Al-Falihi.
Bassa is considered one of the oldest Tunisian dishes dating back to the Roman period. It is a source of vegetable proteins because it contains wheat, barley, dry legumes, herbal ingredients and slow-absorbing sugars.
As for couscous, the most famous Tunisian dish associated with all celebrations and even burial and mourning processions, as well as the dish that was associated with charity and closeness to the righteous parents, it is of Amazigh origin and is derived from the Sanabel of Tunisia, and is cooked with Amazigh lamb, distinguished by its large mechanism.
The couscous is called “aloosh” (lamb), a symbol of honoring the guest, and it is also present in the seasons of harvest and maintenance. Couscous with Barzakan, for example, is a traditional Berber dish, a mixture of sweetness and saltiness that is unique to the northwestern wilayats, especially the Kef state. This dish was attended by the Numidians to celebrate the establishment of their state on the lands of the Kef state in northwestern Tunisia, according to what Dr. Saleh Al-Falihi stated to Ultra Tunisia.
In recent years, "Al Barzan" has turned into a cultural event for the residents of the region. The city's maintenance associations have organized, framed and enriched this event with performances and meetings. Tunisian couscous remains distinct from the point of view of its preparation and ingredients, which makes it different from couscous in Libya, Morocco and Algeria.
One of the dishes that symbolizes blessings, goodness and optimism is molokhia, but what many do not know is that this dish is not Tunisian but rather Pharaonic! The historical accounts show that when the Hyksos occupied Egypt, they wanted to abuse its citizens, so they forced them to eat the “khiya” plant, which they were afraid of, believing that it was a poisonous plant.
And this dish moved from one country to another, and it became the eater of the Ottoman kings, who called it kingship, and it reached Tunisia through them.
As for "Al-Nawasir", that is another story... it is an Andalusian food. One of the founders of the Tunisian Association for Shared Heritage "Culturals", Saleh Al-Falihi, says that the founder of the Hafsid state, Abu Zakaria, when he came from Seville, brought with him a group of Andalusians who lived in the neighborhood known today as the Andalusian approach in Bizerte, including a woman who wanted to invent a new food that brings livelihood and luck, so she By rolling out the dough in the form of thin sheets, she cut them into small squares and then poured saffron on them, so their color became like gold as if they were a pile of square golden dinars, hence the name Al-Nawasir.
It is attributed to Muhammad al-Nasir al-Muwahidi, who minted a square coin.
"The Moriscos have influenced Tunisian cuisine, after 80,000 people came from Andalusia in 1609, bringing with them many dishes, including "Brik Al-Dnouni", in relation to the Andalusian family "Dnoun" who were famous for preparing this type of pastry, according to Al-Falihi.
As for “ Brik ”, its origin is Turkish, contrary to what Tunisians believe, and it is a dish that is not absent from the Tunisian table during the month of Ramadan, as well as “Keftaji”, the famous Tunisian popular dish, which was brought by the Ottomans to Tunisia.
As for the buried, it is a Jewish dish that was eaten on Saturday, and it is known that the Jews do not cook on that day, so they cook it the day before and it is called buried because the meat is hidden inside the meal, and the buried has a religious reference to the Jews, according to our speaker, Dr. Falhi.
The Jews influenced the Tunisian cuisine, so that their dishes were not only dishes, but rather an example of coexistence and tolerance between religions. The Tunisians adopted these dishes, including the “shamnka” which is stewed with lamb or cow rumen, as well as “Al-Aqd”.
The Jews of Italy contributed to the introduction of "Maqrona" and "Rashta" to Tunisia, as well as spices.
Among the dishes that are also believed to be Tunisian is “ sharmoula ”, a dish served on Eid al-Fitr in Sfax, the Sahel, Djerba and Bizerte, and the method of its preparation varies from one side to another.
Heritage Governor Dr. Saleh Al-Falihi says that the accounts differed about its origins, as some linked it to Spanish (salmuera), which is a mixture of water, salt and spices in order to preserve meat and fish, while other accounts suggested that the Sharmula reached Sfax via a Turkish sailor whose ship was wrecked and forced to boil Raisins and eat dried salted fish.
With the diversity of dishes and dishes within the Tunisian cuisine, Tunisians have always sought to Tunisian dishes and prepare them in their own way, and they were keen to have it present on their tables from the north to the south of the country, loving it gathered around it.
The food identity of Tunisia is evidence of the succession and diversity of civilizations on its land, and it also reveals the openness of this country and its ability to enrich its components and adapt to different cultures.
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