"Confessions of a (Former) Vegetarian in Tunis" by Emma
I laughed a little when I saw one of the blog topics was “places to eat vegetarian in Tunis” because as you might have guessed from the title, I am, for the moment, no longer vegetarian (much to the absolute shock of my friends and family). And, here’s the deal: I was a vegetarian for 11 full years before coming to Tunis. Since that fateful day in 6th grade when I learned what a hot dog was made of, to my very first night with my host family in Menzah 5, I didn’t eat meat or fish at all, no exceptions. While it’s a personal decision for every person who is vegetarian or vegan, when I arrived in Tunis, I ended up letting go of eating vegetarian and trying everything that my family was excited to share. However, it’s completely feasible to maintain being a vegetarian while on your program in Tunis - you may have to advocate for yourself pretty frequently if it’s important to you, but a lot of people do it, and vegetarian food is not too hard to find. Many Tunisian foods such as couscous can be ordered with vegetables instead of meat, and all sandwich options can easily be made vegetarian since they ask you what you want as you go, Subway style. There are also many soup options, and pasta is also another food that can often be ordered meatless. I will be real with you and say that I imagine eating vegan in Tunis would be significantly more difficult because of how many foods include eggs (most common Tunisian dishes include some form of egg or meat), but it’s also not impossible - just be sure to communicate your needs with your program coordinator and your host family in advance so they can best support you!
If you’re willing to ask, you can find vegetarian options pretty available. There are also restaurants with specifically vegetarian or allergy-friendly menus, though they’re rarer than you might find in many parts of the US.
Here are some common foods that are delicious and pretty easily made vegetarian:
Couscous: Often served with meat on top, you can ask for just vegetables, and it’s very available. This is also one of the few foods that is naturally vegan because it doesn’t have eggs!
Omelettes
Ojja: A tomato-based dish with vegetables eaten with bread. Often, you’re given the choice between lamb, chicken, or seafood, but this is one of the foods you can pretty easily eat around the meat. Most of the time I would share ojja with a friend, and then they can enjoy the meat and I don’t feel like I’m wasting anything!
Kafteji: A dish containing eggplant, potatoes, and eggs, eaten with bread. Kafteji can be meatless, sometimes it contains tuna or beef but you can ask for without!
Mlawi/Most sandwiches -Ma9loub, Malfouf, Chapati: Sandwiches are easy to get without meat and very available! You usually specify what you want as you go, so you can easily get it without meat.
Chorba: Soup! Often includes meat but can scoop around it, or they have types that just contain vegetables.
Brick: A small, fried roll-up with egg in the middle. Usually includes tuna, but you can make it without if you’re helping to cook!
Slata Mechwiya: Grilled vegetables that are mashed into a spicy salad. Delicious and vegetarian!
Ma9rouna/Pasta: Again, you’re usually met with the options of meat, chicken, or fish/seafood, but can ask for no meat/vegetables in most places.
Salads/Pizza: If you’re ordering pizza, just be sure to specify no tuna because sometimes they just automatically add it!
Reasons why it can be hard:
Tuna/seafood/meat/eggs in a lot of foods, it tends to be the default
Always having to ask can be tiring and hard to maintain
With a host family, especially visiting other family members, etc. it can be hard to advocate
How to make it easier:
Find your go-to’s: which foods do you like that you can usually depend on being available?
Check-in with your comfort levels: Are you comfortable eating around meat in a dish?
Try not to worry about saying it/reminding people even when you feel like you have a million times!
Finally, a few restaurants with vegetarian menus/options:
Bistro Nippon - Japanese food with a vegetarian menu!
Ben’s Café - Omelettes and salads, as well as waffles, yogurt bowls, and other breakfast foods!
Inward - Vegetarian, Vegan, and Gluten-Free options
Any street sandwich shop
Emma is an Amideast EdAbroad program alum and an intern with EdAbroad in Tunis.
