Lebanese vs Tunisian food & cuisine

Mint tea and coffee are enjoyed throughout the day. Mint tea can include pine nuts. Alcohol is available, and Tunisia produces local wines.

Rice pairs with meat, poultry, or lentils,  fills vegetables and grape leaves, and anchors stews. Vermicelli rice pilafs are everyday staples. All other grains, although they may have had some importance historically, play a minor role today.

Lebanon is part of the Fertile Crescent, a region where lentils and chickpeas likely originated, so they are very important both historically and in current cuisine as staple, affordable sources of nutrition. Lentils, chickpeas, and beans are widely consumed in the form of mujaddarah (lentil and rice pilaf), hummus (chickpea dip), and balila (boiled chickpeas).

Bread accompanies most meals. Bread starts with tabouna, a round clay-oven bread with a crisp crust; mlawi, a flaky fried flatbread; barley bread khobz ch3ir; chapati Tunisien with herb or meat fillings; and kesra made from semolina and whole wheat. Fricassé, a stuffed fried dough, serves as a popular street snack, and of course, the French baguettes are on every corner.

Tunisian love for pasta is among the highest in the world! About 17 kg per person is consumed yearly, second only to Italy. Pasta dishes have thicker, spicier sauces with tomato paste, garlic, spices, and harissa.

No Lebanese table is complete without pickles. Everything from turnips to wild cucumbers can find a way into brine. Pickles add a tangy kick to wraps and pair well with flatbreads or falafel.

Fruits are often consumed in their fresh form, towards the end of the meal. Other than that, smoothies and juices are prevalent. Dried figs, apricots, dates, and raisins are often paired with nuts for a snack.

Potatoes are a relatively recent addition to Tunisian cuisine, which turned into convenience food in the form of French fries. In rural areas, potatoes are still considered a side.

Mashed salads are also common. Mechouia, one of the most popular dishes, combines grilled peppers, tomatoes, onions, eggplant, and garlic, all mixed with olive oil and lemon juice. It can be topped with tuna, eggs, olives, or capers.

Fresh figs, pomegranates, dates, and oranges are popular snacks. Dates and figs may be stuffed with nuts. Preserved lemons are widely used for a distinctive flavor that fresh lemons don’t provide. Dried fruits also appear in savory dishes, pairing well with lamb or chicken.

In Beirut and the coastal towns, the tradition is to grill or fry the daily catch – fishes like red mullet, sea bream, or sardines – simply dressed with olive oil, lemon, and herbs. You’ll also see seafood mezze: fried calamari, shrimp sautéed in garlic and lemon, or octopus salads. A classic is sayadieh, a fragrant fish-and-rice dish cooked with caramelized onions and warm spices, finished with pine nuts, samke harra, a whole baked fish covered with a sauce of tahini, lemon juice, garlic, chili or hot pepper, and fish kibbeh.

Canned tuna is a major staple:  they put it on bowls of stew, dollop it on top of pasta, stuff it in brik, and toss it on the grilled salat, arrange tuna in a decorative pattern along with a quartered hard-boiled egg and olives. Pizza in Tunisia arrives with a handful of canned tuna in the middle, even if it’s pizza Margherita!

Milk is rare in its raw form, but cultured milk products are trendy. Laban, a yogurt made from fermented milk from cows, sheep, goats, or a combination, is a staple, often accompanied by strained yogurt labneh. Ayran, a refreshing yogurt drink diluted with water, is also a popular beverage.

Kishk, jameed, or yogurt stone, is a traditional Eastern Mediterranean method for preserving milk. Milk or yogurt is mixed with bulgur, then naturally fermented and dried. It can later give a tangy kick when grated on salad, blended into soups, or used as a seasoning.

Cheese is also a part of dairy products. Most Lebanese cheeses feature sheep or goat milk, either exclusively or in combination with cow’s milk, and are brined, which means they’re soaked in salty water after the cheese is formed. Halloumi and akkawi are examples of local brined cheeses. Shanklish is another type of fermented cheese rolled in a mixture of spices, such as Aleppo pepper or thyme.

Clarified butter (samneh) and rendered lamb fat (awarma) were important animal fats for cooking and preservation, especially in mountain villages. Today, however, olive oil is the backbone fat in Lebanese kitchens, with vegetable oils also common.

Clarified and fermented butters, made from goat, sheep, or cow’s milk, are staples. Smen, or rancid fermented butter, is a heritage product, made by mixing butter with salt and sometimes spices. Heated water is used to clarify the butter, and after removing excess water, the butter is stored in jars for at least six months to ferment.

Lebanese desserts blend fragrance, texture, and tradition. One of the first things you notice is the aroma of rose water, orange blossom water, and sometimes mastic. Another feature is the balance between nuts, pastry, and syrup. Almonds, pistachios, and walnuts are layered between thin sheets of phyllo or folded into semolina-based sweets. Instead of heavy frostings or creams, the desserts are finished with a sugar syrup known as ater.

Lebanese sweets are also often made in small, shareable portions, good for pairing with coffee or tea. Many of these desserts are tied to religious and seasonal celebrations.

Tunisia is a land of olives, and olive oil is entrenched in culture. Tunisia is the fourth biggest olive oil producer worldwide.

Tunisian desserts share many traits with Moroccan, Algerian, and Libyan sweets. They rely on rich sweetness, dates, honey, delicate pastries, semolina bases, and floral waters. At the same time, Tunisian treats more often highlight local fruits, olive oil, and spices like aniseed. Many come in doughnut-like shapes, fried, then dipped in syrup or coated with sugar.