AFRICAN CUISINE

Hello ladies and gents this is the viking telling you that today we are talking about the beautiful country of

TUNISIA 

Tunisian cuisine, the cuisine of Tunisia, is a blend of Mediterranean and desert dwellers' culinary traditions. Its distinctive spicy fieriness comes from the many civilizations which have ruled the land now known as Tunisia: Romans, Vandals, Byzantines, Arabs, Spanish, Turkish, Italians (Sicilians), French, and the native Punics-Berber people. Many of the cooking styles and utensils began to take shape when the ancient tribes were nomads. Nomadic people were limited in their cooking implements by what pots and pans they could carry with them. The Tunisian tagine, is very different from the Algerian or Moroccan dish. It is a type of a pie dish, made out of eggs, meat and vegetables, similar to the Italian frittata or the eggah.

The openness to trade and tourism also brought international cuisines, like the Chinese, Indian, Japanese cuisine, or fast food. Moreover, the intensification of commercial exchange with Europe and the rest of the world, made certain uncommon products available, which in turn allowed locals to experiment with other cuisines.

Like all countries in the Mediterranean basin, Tunisia offers a "sun cuisine," based mainly on olive oil, spices, tomatoes, seafood and meat.

Tunisian Couscous

Ingredients

• 2 lb lamb stew meat , cut into large pieces
• 2 lb couscous fine semolina (or medium)
• 2 onions , finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic , pressed
• 4 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons harissa
• 2 tablespoons ground caraway
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 4 turnips , cut in half
• 6 medium carrots , peeled
• 4 zucchini , peeled lengthwise, alternately leaving a layer of skin
• 6 small potatoes , peeled
• 10 oz. chickpeas (canned)
• 4 green hot peppers , fried in oil (optional)
• Vegetable oil
• Salt
• Pepper

Instructions

1. Pour ½ cup of oil into a large pan. Fry the onion over medium heat for 2 minutes.
2. Add the garlic, tomato paste and harissa and continue frying for 2 minutes.
3. Add the caraway, coriander, and chili powder. Mix and continue cooking for another 2 minutes.
4. Add the lamb meat and mix well so that the pieces are covered with the sauce. Cook for 5 minutes stirring regularly.
5. Cover with water. Add the turnips and carrots, and cook on low/medium heat for 45 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, prepare the couscous semolina as indicated on the package, with boiling water, salt, and oil.
7. After 45 minutes, add the zucchini, potatoes and chickpeas.
8. Cook for at least another 30 to 40 minutes over low/medium heat. Monitor the cooking of the vegetables. If some vegetables are cooked before the meat, remove them from the pan and place them on a serving platter. Proceed in the same way with all the vegetables to prevent them from cooking too much.
9. 10 minutes before the end of cooking, get a few ladles of broth (one at a time) and wet the couscous semolina. Mix the semolina well after each ladle until it get moistened enough.
10. Arrange the semolina in a tajine pot. Decorate the dish with the vegetables and the meat all around. Garnish with fried green hot peppers (optional).