Food – Tales and Travel

Hold the Harissa

I LOVE Tunisian food. Brik. Bambalouni. Couscous. Kafteji. Makrout. Mechouia. Mint Tea. Fabulous fish. And much, much more.

I love the vibrant markets, tasty street food, fancy and not-so-fancy restaurants. I loved my two cooking classes.

*Red peppers. The ingredient of wicked harissa.*

True Confessions. I do not love all Tunisian food. I HATE harissa, a scorching, blazing red sauce that is a mainstay in Tunisian cuisine. I am not a fan of fire food. I find nothing pleasant about a burning mouth. I like to savor flavors, different tastes – not have them overpowered by heat. I know. I am overruled by most.

In many dishes harissa is served on the side – optional. In some, like couscous, it is usually a key ingredient. I learned. Just ask. “Hold the harissa.”

Harissa plays no role is one of my favorites: Bambalouni, a light, airy, crispy, deep-fried, large, donut like creation. It’s popular at street stands. It was a breakfast buffet selection at a hotel where I stayed. I’d like to begin every day with a Bambalouni and coffee. Heaven!

Tunisian salads – usually without harissa – are phenomenal. Above, a shrimp salad. Mechouia is a national favorite: green peppers, tomatoes, caraway, olive oil. Depending on the cook, other ingredients can be added. The secret is grilling the vegetables which gives a distinct, smokey enhancement.

Couscous, above, is popular throughout the Maghreb, i.e. Morocco and Algeria too. It can be made with lamb (most traditional), beef, chicken or fish, added to steamed semolina and vegetables in a spicy sauce, normally including harissa. I ordered the lamb version for one of my first Tunisian meals. – delicious with harissa on the side. I tried a taste with fire — not for me. According to my guidebook, there are 300 different ways to prepare couscous.

Brik. So many versions. All so delicious. Very, very thin dough, like filo, is folded over a combo of ingredients, such as tuna, veggies, cheese, perhaps harissa, then deep fried until crisp and golden. In Tunisia you can buy packages of Brik dough. I may try with packaged filo. Bambalouni for breakfast and Brik for lunch — for me nothing could be better.

Tuna salad with poached egg, other goodies — and whipped cream. Delicious.

Canned tuna makes a frequent appearance in Tunisian cuisine — in innovative salads or sandwiches, combined with other goodies, and always a delight.
An egg, usually soft boiled, is another frequent Tunisian ingredient. The gooey yellow is an added treat.

Kafteji sandwich, left. Tunisians eat bread with every meal . There are numerous varieties, including baguettes.

Kafteji Vegetables star in Tunisian cuisine. Here they are fried, finely chopped together, combined with an egg as mentioned above, harissa, and served alone or stuffed into a flatbread sandwich. They are another street food sensation with countless variations. You can “hold the harissa.”

Makrout. Tunisians love pastry. This is THE national sweet, a deep-fried cookie made with semolina, flower water and filled with a date paste mixture. In the town of Kairouan, Mme. Halima offers a Makrout workshop in her home. I learned the preparation intricacies (see video above) and saw the amazing contraption, below, used for flower water distillation.

Mint Tea. Tunisia is a Moslem country, and most Moslems do not drink alcohol. Nonetheless the country produces both beer and wine. I indulge in both, but not on this trip due to the health crisis I suffered during my travels.(see previous post, The Trip that Almost Wasn’t) I did not miss the booze. I became addicted to mint tea which is served everywhere and better than any I can make at home. Must be the Tunisian mint.

A decadent strawberry cake and mint tea for dessert.

This is just a mini sampling of Tunisian food. For more on Tunisia, see previous post, In Awe of Tunisia. More food soon in a post about my stay at Dar El Gaied, an exquisite guest house where I had an at-home private cooking course.

If not a Tales and Travel follower, please sign up here. Trust me. It’s safe. Your address is kept private.

More photos below :

Tunisian breakfast: dates, cheese, pastry, jam and yogurt.

Please leave a comment . . . Cancel reply

In Awe of Tunisia

***Along the coast in Cap Bon, northern Tunisia.***

White, white — all the buildings white in Tunis, photo below.

All the white may seem bland, but Tunisia is not. This small North African country is dynamic, vibrant, and a treasure trove of colorful sights: mind-boggling mosaics; joyful, boisterous markets; majestic mosques; intriguing souks, and super friendly, kind, understanding folk. I was so impressed with the later, by the end of my 10-day journey, I thought about reading the Koran and taking up Islam.

Souks, sinuous alleys with all kinds of merchandise, are endemic to Tunisia.

As the plane from Nice descended to Tunis, not much to see from the window except white buildings everywhere. Later from a roof top restaurant, more of the same. Somehow it seems spooky, but it’s the traditional architectural style and helps reflect the Mediterranean sun to keep interiors cool.

**Plenty of color at the indoor market in Tuni**s.

People — their customs, way of life, beliefs — fascinate me most about travel. Tunisia is an Islamic country, mainly Sunni, but as driver Faouzi pointed out, “We have mosques, we have bars, we have discos.”

Tunisia is the birthplace of the Arab Spring in 2010. Protests led to the fall of the then president and his harsh regime, inspiring similar movements in the Arab world. Today however many Tunisians are more than disappointed. There are serious economic problems and unemployment. Corruption is rampant. Many young Tunisians want to leave the country for a better life in Europe.

As to religion, to each his or her own. It seemed to me that about 50% of the women cover their heads with the hijab. Guide Mondher maintains there is nothing in the Koran about the hijab. The Islamic belief is that the Koran was revealed to Mohammad over about 23 years. However, throughout `many years different scholars and traditions have developed different interpretations. His wife wears the hijab, his 20-something daughter does not. Both he and Faouzi are practicing Muslims. Neither drink alcohol.

As a foodie, markets are a favorite for me. The fish market in Tunis is like no other, a giant party. Vendors shout, laugh, even sing -definitely a happy place. I was mesmerized and took far too many fish photos.

I did not want to leave the fun, uplifting ambience amidst the fish, but a guide steered me to another market section: flowers, but not bouquets for your loved one. Flowers for flower water, a must in every Tunisian household.

Most families have a large, complicated looking filter contraption in their home. The “machine” boils the petals. Filtered flower water, essential for Tunisian pastries and more, drips out. (More on flower water in a future post on Tunisian food and a pastry making session.)

Selecting flowers and petals for flower water

Ancient Roman mosaics are a major Tunisian attraction, thousands displayed in museums. I saw small parts of vast collections at the Bardo museum in Tunis and the archaeological museum in Sousse. Many are in excellent condition, despite being 2,000 years old. At the time, North Africa was part of the Roman Empire, but the artists who made the mosaics were Africans, not Romans, a proud Tunisian pointed out. The mosaics were buried under sand which preserved them. Best visit with a guide who will lead you to the best and provide fascinating explanations.

400 ancient mosaics are displayed in the Bardo Museum in Tunis.

Due to an unexpected hospital stay (see previous post, The Trip that Almost Wasn’t) my travel itinerary was altered. Instead of heading south, I stayed in the north. Towns visited: Tunis, Carthage, Sidi Bou Said, Sousse, Kairouan, Hammamet, Nabeul – all lively and thriving. Less thriving are some of the dusty country villages.

Only Muslims can enter mosques, but at the Grand Mosque in Kairouan, a guard happily takes visitors cell phones for indoor photos from the entrance. You can also peek through bars covering windows of this major Islamic monument whose origins date to the 9th century.

**Interior of Grand Mosque with handmade prayer rugs**

The interior is enormous, covered with carpets, beautiful handmade carpets for which the town is famous. I visited a carpet shop and learned that even today women make the rugs at home and offer them to the mosque. And, sell them to shops where they are a hot item for tourists.

Carpet making is tedious, hand tying thousands of knots and can take many months for one carpet. Cost for a 7’by 5′ carpet from 9,000 euros.

Roads around major Tunisian cities are impressive — in many places five lanes in each direction. Country drives lead through vast areas of green hills and past fields and fields of olive trees, much smaller and younger than the olive trees around me in southern France. Mondher said Tunisian olive oil is renowned and great quantities are exported to Spain where it is sold as Spanish olive oil. Fact or fiction?

Where were all the sheep? Tunisians eat lots of lamb, but I had not seen the animals – until I was on a drive around Cap Bon and the northern tip of the country. Voilà- a shepherd and his flock on hillside. We stopped. Mondher got out and had a lengthy conversation with the shepherd, inspecting the beasts.

Eid-al-Adha, the Festival of Sacrifice, was approaching. It commemorates the prophet Ibrahim about to sacrifice his son to God, until God intervenes and substitutes a ram. Muslims in Tunisia celebrate the feast and many slaughter a lamb/sheep on that day.

Cap Bon, Tunisia’s northern coast, just 140-160 kilometers from Sicily.

Mondher, who intended to kill a lamb on the holy day, reported that these sheep were too expensive (Fortunately – we did not have to take one home), but the meat would be “good quality.” Too gruesome for me — and driver Faouzi who said he had never killed a sheep, and never would.

On another drive we stopped at a special butcher so Faouzi could buy camel meat, not, however, for the above feast. He says it’s much less expensive than lamb, but good for a family couscous.

**I found restaurant meals reasonable. Grilled fish, fries and more — all for about 9 euros or $1020**.

Tunisians spend from 25-35% of their wages on food. Sample costs for meat:

Beef: 45 Tunisian dinar (TND) per kilo (13,5 euros or $15,30).

Lamb: 55-60 TND per kilo ( 16,5 euros or $20.40)

Faouzi proudly shows his daughter’s wedding picture. Tunisian weddings are multi-day events with hundreds of guests.

I am in awe of Tunisia. In Shallah, I will return to discover what I missed in the south. Scroll down for more photos .

Tunisian food (fabulous ) coming soon. If not a Tales and Travel follower, please sign up here. Trust me. It’s safe. Your address is kept private.

My Tunisian souvenir: Hannibal the elephant His namesake, Hannibal the legendary warrior from Carthage, led his army and elephants from Phoenicia across Spain and France, over the Alps to attack Rome, 218 BC. There are no elephants in Tunisia today.

Many Tunisian cafes are ideal for hanging out, relaxing.

Craftsmen at work in the souks

Dates anyone?

Tunisian felines. They are everywhere. I wanted to adopt them all.

I booked my Tunisia adventure with Worldwide Quest, http://www.worldwidequest.com

Please comment. I love feedback.

Please leave a comment . . . Cancel reply

Food Adventures in Madagascar

Food is a hot topic in travel these days. More and more destinations offer food tours with samplings of tasty street goodies.

Being a dedicated foodie, upon arrival in Madagascar (Mada) last summer, I naively inquired about a food tour. “Not here,” announced Ravi, a guide and driver. “People get sick. They reuse the cooking oil.”

Forget street food, as well as haute cuisine and Michelin star restaurants. I did, however, enjoy some delicious dining during my stay in the country, the fifth poorest in the world.

I loved visiting the markets, taking photos of the friendly vendors, and learning about Mada food.

Let’s start with rice. “We must eat rice three times per day,” declared Emanuel, my guide at a market in Antananarivo (Tana), the country capital. We passed numerous rice stands with numerous kinds of rice. “But this is not enough. We also import rice from China and India,” he added.

Hard to believe. During my first excursion in Mada, to a lemur park about 25 kilometers from Tana, we passed miles of rice paddies. However, on another excursion we passed brick factories on the river banks. Bricks replaced rice; I was told. “You can make more money with bricks.”

Zebu are to Madagascar what reindeer are to Norway. The island’s domestic cattle originally came from South Asia. They serve as a source of meat, as well as a beast of burden. The humped cattle are a symbol of wealth and status, and play an essential role in ceremonies and sacrificial rituals (see previous post, Madagascar’s Intriguing Ancestor Rituals) Popular souvenirs – jewelry, salad tongs, bowls, decorative objects – are made of zebu horns. The color and grain of the horns vary, so each piece has a distinct pattern.

I am not a hearty meat eater, but twice I savored zebu filet. Exquisite. Filet is not on the menu at market food stalls, but zebu stomach and feet are, both considered delicacies.

Many market stands are “fast food” depots, offering a variety of prepared dishes at reasonable prices. Shoppers stop for a meal at the markets. “We like to eat here. It’s easier than going home to cook,” I was told.

My guide went for the stomach and feet. I was tempted by a colorful concoction of pasta and veggies.

Cassava leaves are an essential ingredient in many Malagasy dishes, especially the national favorite, ravitoto. Leaves can be purchased pre ground at the market.

I watched as women mixed the leaves with coconut milk, grated coconut, water, and then squeezed it all dry, before mixing it with meat and vegetables for cooking. This was one of many ready-to-eat offerings at the market.

In Nosy Be, the Mada resort town where I spent several days, a brochette stand is a sensation. Customers line up in the evening for take-home brochettes, about 11 US cents each. The tiny stand was started by the mother of some of the workers years ago. It’s grown into a thriving family business, employing daughters, granddaughters and cousins, all at work cutting up 25 kilos of zebu every day, then assembling the brochettes with the meat, green papaya, and more.

As an island nation, Madagascar offers a variety of fish and other sea creatures for the dinner plate. I visited a fishing village where thousands of sardines were drying in the sun.

My all time favorite seafood in Mada: camarons, a type of large gamba from the waters of nearby Mozambique. To die for, along with zebu filet.

This was my last night treat at the Sakamanga (blue cat) hotel in Tana. The menu selections there were several notches up from restaurant food I had elsewhere. The restaurant was bustling. Reservations a must.

The hotel itself could be a tourist attraction, its walls decorated with framed old newspaper front pages and photos, and hallways filled with ancient Malagasy treasures.

Why the hotel name meaning blue cat? No one could tell me. As a childless cat lady, I was delighted to spot two curled up kitties on an office chair, as well as other cats during my travels. Malagasy like felines, I learned.

No street food, but plenty of other delectable edibles in Mada, and even more to nourish the spirit. I loved my adventures there. For more, see my previous posts: Discovering the Unique Wonder of Madagascar and Madagascar’s Intriguing Ancestor Rituals

If not a Tales and Travel follower, please sign up here. Trust me. It’s safe. Your address is not shared.

Malagasy John Delmas organizes and guides visits to Madgascar. John was my guide/driver for two days. He was super, taught me lots. Contact his company. https://www.mada-discovery-travels.com

Ravi Matadeen rents made-in-Madagasar unique vehicles for self drive trips. http://www.selfdrivemadagascar.com.

I booked my African adventure, South Africa (Kruger) and Madagascar, with Worldwide Quest, http://www.worldwidequest.com

Today’s Taste. No new recipe, but one from the past, CHICKEN MAFE. It’s not a Malagasy recipe, but a West African speciality. I have made it several times for African dinner parties and it’s always a hit. Peanuts are the secret ingredient. For more tasty recipes, click here.

Scroll down for more Mada photos and for Comments. I’d love to know your thoughts.

Please leave a comment . . . Cancel reply

Back on the Road Again

“Madame, vous êtes à la fin, » (Madame, you are at the end (of life), she announced as she massaged my ancient body. I had to chuckle, thinking to myself, “Yes, I know. But did you need to remind me?”

I had treated myself to a massage at an upscale hotel in Nosy Be, Madagascar, Part II of my solo voyage to South Africa and Madagascar (Mada), the world’s fifth poorest country.

Why would a handicapped old lady traveling alone (me) come to Madagascar? It was obvious those I met on the journey were surprised, if not baffled. I did not fit the profile of the typical Mada tourist.

Madagascar is a fascinating, gorgeous country, but crime ridden and poor – very poor. Most visitors are young and fit or older and fit, exploring Mada’s rich biodiversity and incredible landscapes which involve long, rigorous journeys over mainly dirt roads. Mada is huge, the world’s fourth largest island. Distances are great. Due to my disability, my excursions were near cities and mainly on paved roads with a private driver/guide – nonetheless challenging at times.

I was apprehensive, if not nervous, prior to departure. Had I taken a step too far? I was petrified of falling again. But I charged ahead.

Madagascar is home to 112 species of lemur, all endangered.

A woman I met my first night at a hotel in Mada gave me some words of wisdom. She is a health care worker who has a daughter with disabilities. “You need to push yourself, test your boundaries. Use it or lose it.’’

I reflected on those words many times in Mada – when faced with uneven, stony or dirt terrain to navigate, steep steps with no railings, hills with no steps. “You can do it. Slowly. Carefully,” I told myself.

Travel has been my lifelong passion. I relish learning about different lands, cultures, traditions. I love talking to locals. You learn so much. It is enriching. It can change who you are. Travel adds perspective to life and understanding of the world.

My late husband Bob shared my passion for travel and adventure. We traveled near and far. After several difficult years suffering from Alzheimer’s, he passed way two years ago. About the same time, I had a horrendous fall – a complicated femur break and a broken shoulder. Despite numerous surgeries, I have limited mobility and need a cane to walk. And, I don’t have full motion of my left arm following the injury.

I am à la fin, handicapped, but still alive. I can walk, albeit slowly. I no longer have a travel partner. What to do? Sit on the couch, watch TV ad wait to die?

NO. NO. Get up. Get going. Get back on the road again. I did. It was invigorating. I felt alive again. I loved it.

As Saint Augustine said, “The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.” I want to read all the pages.

If not a Tales and Travel follower, please sign up here. Trust me. It’s safe. Your address is not shared. Don’t miss out. More about my travels in future posts: Sensational wildlife in South Africa, the mysteries of Madagascar.

See below for a new recipe just in time for all those ripe tomatoes.

Please leave a comment . . . Cancel reply

TODAY'S TASTE - Savory Tomato Tarte Tatin

Savory Tomato Tarte Tatin

Click below photo for recipe. For more recipes, click here.

Return to Germany

Like I remembered. Idyllic. We were surrounded by green, pure nature, at the Fischerhütte near Darmstadt, Germany.

*Thekla, Andrea and Thiemo at the Fischerhuettte*

Many, many years ago when I worked as a journalist at the newspaper Stars and Stripes, I lived not so far away. I remember hikes to the hütte in the forest. I remember treks to secret places in that forest in search of the coveted steinpilze (boletus, cepes, porcini – whatever the name, the king of mushrooms). I remember the tranquility, the beauty of those woods.

It was wunderbar to return to Germany after so many years. I have missed Deutschland – old friends, favorite foods, the lush forests.

Trout for lunch at the Fischerhuette, and the best German beverage, beer.

Andrea, the daughter of an old friend, her husband Thiemo and her sweet mother, Thekla, led me down memory lane, not just to the Fischerhütte, but other special spots. It was magical.

Many more memories were rekindled with friends in the Stuttgart area where I lived with husband Bob (RIP) for many years.

Gerlinde welcomed me in her Stuttgart home. Like many of my friends, she is a foodie par excellence, even making her own yogurt and ice cream. She is also devoted to fitness and swims against the jet stream in her pool for 20 minutes every day. I just swam, minus the jet stream.

*Gerlinde swims daily against a powerful water jet — Impressive.*

We drove to Steinenbronn, past the apartment where Bob and I lived for 11 happy years. At a nearby restaurant, I indulged in my very favorite Swabian special, Zwiebelrostbraten (onion steak) with homemade Spaetzle.

I can’t complain about food on the Mediterranean coast where I now live, yet there is a shortage of ethnic eateries.

Not so in Germany where, among others, Turkish restaurants abound. I miss those, too. Marianne treated me to lunch at her friendly neighborhood Turkish restaurant. I wanted to bring those flavors back to France.

Then, that de rigeur German ritual, afternoon Kaffee und Kuchen (coffee and cake) at her apartment.

Fun conversation and memories of good times enhanced all those luscious tastes.

My friends indeed lavished me with generous and delicious hospitality. Dagmar invited me and other friends to her home for a tasty lunch with a scrumptious raspberry cream dessert. And, Heti invited us to a multi-course dinner of exquisite delicacies, each worthy of a magazine photo (photos below). This was especially remarkable as she had fallen and broken her wrist the day before.

On my last day we met in Bebenhausen. Bob and I were avid cyclists. We liked to pedal from Steinenbronn to this tiny burg with an ancient monastery and an excellent restaurant. It is still charmingly picturesque. My last treat before heading home, another German delicacy: Rehrücken filet (venison filet). Delectable.

Living on the Mediterranean coast, I have the sea, palm trees, the Maritime Alps, tropical gardens – but no dense, enchanting forests. I had not realized that I was forest deprived. I was in awe of all the fabulous German greenery.

I mentioned this to Andrea, so we visited yet more. “I’ve never been to so many forests in one day,” she said. Gerlinde told me that Stuttgart has more green space than any other German city.

“The woods are lovely, dark and deep…,” and a treasure.

Thank you, dear friends, I loved my return to Germany –especially seeing all of you.

Below: Heti’s superb creations. Each was mouthwatering.

I will add a new recipe next time. Meanwhile, for an easy, tasty dessert, try my recent discovery, RUM-SOAKED MANGOES. Sinfully delicious.

If not a Tales and Travel follower, please sign up here. Trust me. It’s safe. Your address is not shared. Don’t miss out. Thrilling adventure coming: South Africa, Madagascar and Mauritius.

Comments welcome. Scroll down and share your thoughts. To read previous comments, scroll way down.