Traditional Tunisian Harissa

4.99 $

Brand: El Miziena

Net weight: 350G

Ingredients: Cayenne peppers, vegetable oil, garlic, caraway, coriander, salt.

Traditional Tunisian Harissa

Traditionally Harissa is most closely associated with The Mahgreb region, specifically Tunisia, the northern edge of Africa touching the Mediterranean Sea, made up of the modern countries Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria and Libya. The name Harissa comes from the Arabic verb harasa, meaning ‘to pound’, or ‘break into pieces’.

Smear it on a burger, either on its own or mixed into aioli.Stir some into shakshuka, and pack it into your falafel sandwich. I really like harissa as a dip for crudités or something fried. Blended with tahini and yogurt, it makes an excellent dip for fresh spring peas.

It has an earthy flavor reminiscent of roasted red peppers or tomato paste; it can also have a smoky quality from the addition of smoked paprika and chiles. Harissa’s spice level is typically mild, but you can continually adjust the recipe to your taste by adding more or fewer ingredients.

Empirically, the heat between these two is the same, but because harissa is a paste made predominantly of mashed peppers, it can seem hotter than sriracha sauce. Absent of sugary sweetness and more earthy in flavor through the herbs, harissa stands out for its addition of pepper with this sriracha substitute