History

The sandwich traces to a 19th-century story from La Goulette, the Jewish port suburb of Tunis: a young Tunisian Jewish woman left with more fried buns than a party needed filled them savoury with tuna, harissa, egg and potato instead of sugaring them as planned. Tunisian Jews carried the sandwich with them when they left in the 1950s and 1960s; in France it became le fricasse, and it stayed popular through Israel's own Tunisian Jewish community, sold from market stalls and side-street counters. The Tunisian Sandwich Center, run by Haim Bukovza of the original Ramla Market stand, serves it on HaPatish Street in south Tel Aviv in baguettes baked on site, with merguez as a second filling.

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Common allergens: Gluten, Eggs

Make it at home

Yield Serves 4Hands-on 30 minTotal 45 minDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 4 small round bread rolls or brioche buns
  • Sunflower oil, for frying
  • 200g tinned tuna in olive oil, drained
  • 2 eggs, hard boiled and sliced
  • 2 small potatoes, boiled and sliced
  • 2 tbsp harissa paste
  • 1 preserved lemon, finely chopped
  • Handful black olives, pitted
  • Israeli pickled salatim (carrot, cabbage), to taste
  • Olive oil, for drizzling

Method

  1. Split the bread rolls almost in half, leaving one edge attached like a book, and lightly toast or fry the cut sides in a little oil until golden.
  2. Break the drained tuna into large flakes with a fork.
  3. Spread the inside of each roll with harissa. Layer in the tuna, sliced egg and sliced potato.
  4. Scatter over the preserved lemon, olives and pickled salatim.
  5. Drizzle with olive oil, press the roll closed and eat immediately while the bread is still warm.

Tip from the editors. Spread the harissa first, straight onto the bread; adding it last leaves the inside of the roll dry and the heat uneven.

Where to eat tunisian sandwich

Tunisian sandwich in Tel Aviv

Tunisian Sandwich Center ★ 4.2

$ TunisianFlorentin

The Tunisian Sandwich Center on HaPatish Street, run by the Ramla Market original's Haim Bukovza, bakes its own baguettes for Tunisian and merguez sandwiches.

TryTunisian sandwich and merguez sausage in baguettes baked on site

TipOrder the Tunisian complete, the most popular baguette on the menu, or the merguez sausage version; the bread is baked on site.

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