Food is such an integral part of a country’s culture and I always try to include a food tour wherever I go.
Recently, I was invited to sample a few days of the new Sawa Taste of Tunisia Tours. Sawa have curated a selection of immersive tours highlighting the delights of Tunisian cuisine. Their multi-day experiences are a perfect introduction to the food and culture of Tunisia.
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I have always thought that the cuisine of Tunisia would be similar to Morocco, but I was pleasantly surprised at the diversity on offer.
How Sawa Taste of Tunisia came to be
Sawa Taste of Tunisia is the brainchild of Lamia Temini and Jamie Furniss, who jointly founded Sawa Taste of Tunisia in 2023.
Both love Tunisia and are passionate about the country’s food and culture. They realised that there were no dedicated Tunisian Food and Gastronomy tours available, so they created their own!
“Sawa” meaning together, and together Lamia and Jamie have curated an amazing range of tours to give you an insight into Tunisian Cuisine and Culture. They have worked hard to find the best artisans in Tunisia to work with.
Sawa Taste of Tunisia Tours blend culinary experiences with tastings, cookery classes, culture to provide the best experience possible.
Earlier in 2024, Sawa was awarded 5th place in the “Top 10 Websites for Foodie Travelers” by the International Institute of Gastronomy, Culture, Arts and Tourism, a great accolade for a new business.
Background to Sawa Taste of Tunisia
Lamia Termini
Lamia was born in Tunisia. Her father was Algerian and her mother was from Sicily. Lamia brings this Mediterranean heritage to her passion for food and travel. Her background in Marketing and PR for the various high profile hotels took her around the world.
She returned to Tunisia in 2006 and set up her own PR agency, Sawa which she ran until 2010. Lamia now runs her guesthouse as well as running the Sawa Taste of Tunisia tours and developing new ones.
Lamia also helps to translate as some of the producers and artisans speak French or Arabic.
Jamie Furniss
Originally from the north of Canada, Jamie had an early interest in North African culture and Arabic. After studying in Cairo and Oxford, he lectured in social anthropology at the University of Edinburgh.
Jamie moved to Tunisia in 2018 to work as a researcher in Tunis for 5 years. Now living in Marseille, he continues to promote his love of Tunisia and Sawa Taste of Tunisia.
A Taster of Sawa Taste of Tunisia
I spent 3 days/4 nights in Tunisia with a small group of international bloggers. We were sampling elements of the Sawa Taste of Tunisia tours. Normally the tours are quite relaxed, but we packed a lot into our 3 days.
After being picked up from the airport, we were taken by minibus the hour or so drive to Lamia’s guesthouse in Cap Bon. Once we were settled into our rooms, our first introduction to Tunisian food was an amazing spread for dinner.
The table groaned under the platters and dishes of chorba (Tunisian soup), fish, couscous, salads, and tajine, finished off with plump fresh strawberries sprinkled with orange water. Lamia prepared the feast for us in her kitchen.
Day 1 of our Taster days
Mwali Making with Moufida
Before breakfast, we were kitted out with Sawa aprons and headscarves and headed to the kitchen. Moufida, a neighbour of Lamia’s, was ready to teach us how to make Mwali, a traditional flatbread.
After mixing the simple ingredients – flour, semolina, salt, yeast, water and olive oil – we kneaded the dough and formed it into balls. The balls are rolled out and popped on a hot griddle to cook.
The mwali was served with the rest of our breakfast and was delicious, flaky and soft but also slightly crispy around the edges. Perfect to have with labneh (strained yoghurt) or jams. They are also great to make wraps for lunches or snacks.
Harissa Making
Harissa is the wonderful punchy, hot, aromatic, red paste flavouring much of Tunisian cooking.
Behind the unassuming white facade of Dar L’harissa in Nabuel, is Terroirs de Tunise, one of the best places to learn about traditional Harissa making.
Imed Attig, along with his wife, Héla, run Terroirs de Tunise where they produce their award-winning harissa. Imed introduced us to the different varieties of chilli he uses to make his range of harissa and explained the history behind harissa.
After a demonstration, we took turns mincing the chillis in a grinder. The chillis were put through several times getting smoother and smoother each time. Salt, garlic and olive oil were added to enhance the taste.
We also tried the same method of making harissa, but using a pestle and mortar. It did not turn our quite as smooth as the minced chillis.
It is amazing how the fresh red colour of the chillis is preserved by the simple action of grinding it instead of pummeling it in the mortar.
All the harissa blends that Imed makes are 100% natural and using Tunisian produce. Olive oil, herbs, garlic and floral water are added to the chillis to make different blends. My favourite was “Amardoukh” with a blend of spices and herbs from the Amazighs, Berbers from the Tunisian desert. Amardoukh is a punchy warming harissa with a deep flavour and perfect with couscous.
Imed is the proud President of the Association Tunisienne du Patrimoine Culturel Immaterial. In 2022, harissa, knowledge, skills and culinary and social practices were designated as one of UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage.
Pottery Workshop at Arceram
The tours that Sawa Taste of Tunisia leads include cultural aspects of Tunisia. Tunisia is famed for its pottery and ceramics and Arceram owned by Imane Hadidane is one of the premier manufacturers.
Behind a yellow door, we enter the pottery and ceramic atelier. Every surface is covered with handpainted ceramics. From bright colours to subdued floral decorations every manner of ceramic plate, pot and dish imaginable.
Imane has the honour of producing the porcelain for Prince Albert of Monaco (manufactured “out of Monaco” but made in Tunisia). All her pieces use ancient pottery and ceramic techniques to retain the authenticity of her products.
After being shown around the studio where the ceramics are painted and fired, we sat down at a worktable to paint our own designs on a piece of pottery.
It was exciting sketching out our designs and then filling them in with the paints. I naturally chose to paint a larch tree. Each piece was fired and delivered to us before we left Tunisia.
Floral Waters with Rania from Ezemnia
Have you ever wondered how the fragrant floral waters are made? In Nabeul every house distils their own floral waters from flowers grown in their garden or bought from the markets. Floral waters are used for perfumes, scents as well as additions to food and even coffee.
We visited Rania who runs Ezemnia along with her husband Mohammed. In her converted white-washed garage, Rania produces award-winning distilled floral waters from her 5 stills. Using traditional Nabuelese techniques handed down from her mother and grandmother, Rania uses the copper stills to follow the simple but lengthy process.
The room was scented by geranium flowers which were in season. The copper stills are filled with flowers and heated from the bottom. The steam produced then passes through a long tube over a large ceramic pot of cold water. This cools the vapour and it condenses the steam back into liquid form which drips slowly into the large glass bottles. The process can take hours to complete.
Once cooled, the floral waters are bottled and ready for sale. Rania produces several floral waters including geranium, rose and neroli (orange blossom).
Lamia and Sawa have been working with Rania to promote her floral waters as well as the marmalades and spices she makes.
Day 2 of our Taster Days
Central Market Tour
You can tell a lot about a country’s cuisine by walking around a local market. The Central Market in Tunis is an amazing place to wander around. Open every day from 6am to 4pm, the stalls are full of fresh produce from around the country.
Our guide around the market was Sadri Smoali. Sadri runs the Dar Slah restaurant with his wife Sofie and daughter Sam. He is a regular at the market selecting the freshest ingredients to create his authentic Tunisian dishes for the restaurant, often changing the menu when something catches his eye.
The first hall in the Central Market is filled with fish and seafood stalls. Mackerel, tuna, prawns, shrimp, mullet, octopus, squid and even shark were among the many fish and seafood on sale. Sadri showed us how to choose fresh fish by their eyes, gills and even by touch. At one of his favourite stalls, we were treated to some freshly thinly sliced tuna and mackerel sushi.
The next hall was fruit and vegetables including the lemon man Hamza Ayari. Hamza’s stall is covered in lemons and he encourages everyone to have their photo taken with a basket of lemons on their head. His fans include Jamie Oliver who featured him in his video “A Flavour of Tunisia”.
Cheese, olives, capers, chillis and beautiful vegetables were also piled high. The air was scented with the mounds of geranium flowers used in the making of the floral waters.
Sadri encouraged us to sample dates, cheeses, olives, to smell the flowers and to savour all the sights and sounds of the market.
Culinary Immersion at Dar Slah
A short walk away from the market is Dar Slah, the restaurant owned by Sadri.
Normally on the Fondouk and Souks of Tunis tour offered by Sawa Taste of Tunisia, the food tour includes selecting and buying the ingredients for lunch at the Central Market. This is then brought to the restaurant and guests are kitchen prepare and cook their own Tunisian meal under the instruction of Sofie and her staff.
As our time was short, we helped in the kitchen to make brik – a delicious deep-fried pastry stuffed with potato, fish and a fresh egg, torchi – carrot and turnip pickle and salata mechouia – mixed grilled vegetable salad.
These were all served to us for lunch along with delicious fish and couscous.
Wine Tasting at Celliers de Montfleury
I have to admit, I never associated wine with Tunisia, but wine-making goes back almost 3,000 years in the country. Modern-day viticulture and winemaking are still ongoing.
The oldest winery in Tunisia is the Celliers de Montfleury. Originally founded in 1895, Celliers de Montfleury produced many of the wines sold in Tunisia including the most widely sold table wine, Koudiat.
Their modern wine distillery in Tunis is under the supervision of Fares Ben Mahmoud. Over the last 3 years, he has brought in new methodologies of making wine. Blending Tunisian grapes with French ones, Fares and his winemaking team have produced some new wines.
Our wine tasting included sampling a selection of these new wines including the wonderfully named Drink Pink, Gold Finger, Mad Cat and the Pink Flamingo. The one that caught our eye most was the bottle of turquoise blue Trocadero, a light fizz with a blue hue!
Day 3 of our Taster Days
Street Food Tour with Emily
Our last day started with a Street Food Tour around the streets of Tunis Medina. I love street food tours, you get to see and eat what the locals eat. Sometimes you even get to help prepare it.
Tunis Medina is vast and it is easy to get lost, so having a guide does help. Emily Sarsam is an artist and cultural programmer based in Tunis.
The tour began with a drink at Café De La Vigne where Emily gave us a background to the street food in the Medina. Our tour took us to various places around the medina to try a range of different foods and drinks.
Along the way we sampled fermeted milk, similar to buttermilk, fricasee and various pastries. Emily took us to a wonderful hole-in-the-wall juice shop where we indulged in a nut milk drink (options for lactose-intolerant were available).
Our tour ended with a Tunisian version of “fast food”. Freshly made, hearty and delicious, kafteji and lablabi.
Olive Oil Tasting with Olea Kotti
If you travel through Tunisia, you will see swathes of olive groves.
Three generations of the Kotti family have been growing olives and producing olive oil since 1890. Mohammed Ali Kotti worked as a hotel intern before returning to his passion for olive oil.
Olive oil tasting can be quite involved than just tasting the oil. Each oil has its own flavour notes; young, grassy, sweet, peppery are just a few. We rolled the oil in our mouths, savouring and learning how to distinguish the different flavourings. It makes you appreciate how different each olive oil tastes and how it can enhance a dish.
Tour of the Baron d’Erlanger’s Museum, Sidi Bou Said
Overlooking the bay of Tunis in Sidi Bou Said is the beautiful Ennejma Ezzahra Palace. It was built and occupied by the d’Erlanger family from 1909 to 1989 and is now called the Baron d’Erlanger’s Museum.
Our tour guide was Winkie Williamson, a Welsh “house historian” who divides her time between Tunisia and Wales. During her 5 months a year in Tunisia, she takes tours and talk about the palace as well as doing research for her book on the 1942-44 years at the palace.
With her wealth of knowledge, Winkie, took us around the palace explaining how the d’Erlanger family, through their banking background came to be in Tunis.
Baron Rodolphe d’Erlanger moved to Tunis for his health at the turn of the 20th Century. He was a painter and musicologist. His wife Maria Elisabetta was so enchanted with the view over the bay, that she bought the land for Rodolphe.
Rodolphe designed the Orientalist palace with the help of an architect, to ensure his vision of where the West meets the East. Both influences are evident in the architecture and interiors of the palace. There is a series of unique intricately-carved ceilings and balconies; floors and walls which are marble-lined keeping them cool during the relentless heat; the soft seating and the galleries throughout. Overall it took 10 years to build.
The history and stories are fascinating and were brought to life by Winkie.
Accommodation during Sawa Taste of Tunisia Tours
We stayed at two different places during our four nights with Sawa Taste of Tunisia Tours.
Sawa Gite Guesthouse
Our first two nights were spent at the rural guesthouse run by Lamia and her husband Arslene in Cap Bon.
Surrounding my rolling hillside reminiscent of Tuscany, with geese and chickens wandering about and a donkey in the field, it is a perfect place to unwind.
Lamia has a comfortable fully self-contained three double-bedroom guesthouse with a kitchen, lounge, shared bathroom, patio area and outdoor pool.
There are also two rooms in her house.
Breakfasts are taken in the main house and are a sumptuous spread of Tunisian breakfast treats.
Dar Said Hotel in Sidi Bou Said
The luxurious Dar Said Hotel is tucked away in Sidi Bou Said. Although it is a boutique hotel in the middle of Sidi Bou Said, it is a peaceful haven.
Each room is decorated in a different style. They are well-appointed with en-suite bathrooms, air-conditioning, satellite TV, tea and coffee-making facilities and a minibar. Interior rooms are around a courtyard and the rooms overlooking the garden also have a view of the Gulf of Tunis.
You can sit out in the tranquil gardens or by the swimming pool. There is also an elegant lounge for cooler days. The fresh continental breakfast is served in a light and airy room next door.
Meals during Sawa Taste of Tunisia Tours
Lunches:
Dar L’harissa
During our time learning about and making harissa, we also helped to make fragrant couscous for our lunch. This was served with boiled eggs, raisins, chickpeas and nuts as well as plates of broad beans, pistachios and, of course, a selection of harissa.
Dar Sala
Lunch at Dar Sala was partly made by us in the kitchens of the restaurant. To accompany our brik, torshi and salata mechouia we had some of the fish that Sadri had bought in the market on a bed of couscous.
The RestÔ at Villa Didon Carthage
The RestÔ in Carthage overlooks the Gulf of Tunis with a wrap-around terrace to enjoy the views. Inside is elegantly decorated with plush yellow, blue and grey upholstery.
Our starter was a selection of beautifully presented salads including ones with tuna, octopus, grilled vegetables and eggs.After came a stew with prawns, potatoes and courgette and nwasser square pasta. It was a bit spicy, but quite light. The dessert of fruit is a jelly and a creamy dessert made from sorghum. These were served with some pastries and a refreshing glass of mint tea.
Suppers:
Vegetarian meal at Villa Ma-Amoura
To round off our first day, we were treated to a sumptuous vegetarian meal at Villa Ma-Amoura in Cap Bon. Home to Jamila and her husband Skander, they have designed the perfect tranquil retreat.
Jamila’s father, Faouzi el Kamel, owned the farmhouse before Jamila took over. He was a famous Tunisian artist and his influence on the house is evident throughout the rooms. His artwork adorns the walls, and Jamila has obviously inherited his artist nature.
The long tables were set out with places for us and the other guests. Jamila soon filled the table with an amazing array of vegetarian dishes. Each was beautifully presented and delicious.
La Sirène La Goulette, Tunis
La Sirène is a seafood restaurant in La Goulette, close to the coast in Tunis. On display is a vast range of seafood; large prawns, octopus, squid, mussels, and many varieties of fish.
You select the fish you want and how it is cooked and head upstairs to the seating area where you can choose starter, sides and drinks.
Dar el Jeld Hotel
Our final evening meal was at the Dar el Jeld Hotel and Spa in the Medina. Behind the unassuming yellow door, you step into a beautifully restored historic house.
We were taken through to the dining room in the central covered courtyard. With an upper galleried dining area, it was very much a place to see and be seen.
The menu was a blend of Tunisian specialities or grilled dishes of fish or meat. The portions were very generous, and delicious.
Inspired to take a Sawa Taste of Tunisia Tours?
All the tours that Sawa Taste of Tunisia offer are inclusive. You are picked up from the airport and all accommodation, food, transport, and activities are included. The only extras you need to pay for are you your alcoholic drinks, food and drinks outside the itinerary and any souvenirs you want.
Sawa Taste of Tunisia currently run 6 tours, with more planned. They also offer an A-la-carte bespoke tour with a minimum of 2 days, where you can pick and choose what you would like to do.
Below is the current list of tours offered by Sawa Taste of Tunisia:
Flânerie Gourmande – 8 days/7 nights
Fully immerse yourself in the flavours and tastes that Tunisia has to offer. The Flânerie Gourmande tour takes you through the coastal towns in the north as well as the Cap Bon region. You will sample Tunisian foods as well as learning to make them.
Includes: Mwali making; Harrisa making; Pottery workshop; Floral waters workshop; Central Market tour and taking over the kitchen to cook your meal; Wine Tasting; Olive Tasting; Street Food Tour, Baron d’Erlanger’s Palace; Meals include Vegetarian meal at Villa Ma-Amoura; Restaurant La Goulette and Medina.
Epicurean Tour of the Cap Ban – 4 days/ 3 nights
A shorter version of the Flânerie Gourmande, where you learn about the local dishes and visit the vinyards.
Includes: Mwali making; Harrisa making; Floral waters workshop; Vegetarian meal at Villa Ma-Amoura
Fondouk and Souks of Tunis – 4 days/ 3 nights
Enjoy the delights of a street food as well as touring the Central Market and having a cooking lesson, before a treasure hunt for herbs and spices in the souk.
Tour includes: Central Market and taking over the kitchen to cook your meal; Wine Tasting; Olive Oil Tasting; Street Food Tour; Tour of Baron d’Erlanger’s Palace; with meals in La Goulette and Medina.
Floral Waters – 4 days/ 3 nights
A chance to explore more of the ancient traditions of making floral waters. These glorious distilled waters are used in perfumes, cooking and soap making.
Tour includes: Mwali making; Harrisa making; Floral waters workshop; Vegetarian meal at Villa Ma-Amoura
Spicy Getaway – 4 days/3 nights
If you are interested in learning about harissa, how to make it and which red chillies to use, then the Spicy Getaway is a must for you.
Tour includes: Mlawi making; Harissa Making and lunch; Vegetarian meal at Villa Ma-Amoura
Ancient Olives – Day trip
A delve into the olive groves around the Cap Bon area to discover more about the growing and tending of the olives. Depending on the season you may be able to help pick olives. The tour includes a cooking class using the oil and vegetables from the garden.
Tour includes: Olive tasting
Final Thoughts
Everyone I met, producers, makers, sellers, chefs and storytellers was passionate about Tunisia, the food the culture and the country. None more so than Lamia. She has a true understanding of how to make the cuisine of Tunisia come alive.
If you are interested in the food and culture of Tunisia, I would highly recommend a tour with Sawa Taste of Tunisia, as part of your vacation in Tunisia.
Getting to Tunisia
We flew with Nouvelair from Paris to Tunis, an easy two-and-a-half-hour flight. They also fly from other destinations including Gatwick, Portugal, Belgium, Austria, Germany, Hungary and Serbia.
Disclosure: I was hosted by Sawa Taste of Tunisia, who were supported by USAid Tunisia and Nouvelair, however, all views, opinions and photos are my own and remain the copyright of The Silver Nomad.
Use these Tunisia Travel Tips to plan your adventure!
- Plan your trip with these Tunisia Travel Guides.
- Get the best deals on flights with Skyscanner.
- Find the perfect place to stay in Tunisia on Booking.com.
- Buy your e-sim before you go with Airalo
- Take your own portable wifi with you
- Explore more about Tunisia with local experiences.
- Don’t forget to arrange your travel insurance.
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Great post Larch! I enjoyed re-living our Tunisian culinary adventure through your words and beautiful photos 🙂
Thank you Kacie, it was a great trip and the food was amazing!