“Fricassee” means something different in many culinary languages; in Tunisia and its diaspora communities, the term refers to these satisfying sandwiches composed of tuna, boiled egg and potato, harissa and olives, served in a fried donut. They’re great for casual lunches at home or picnics, and now at our Basel street food stand. Just be sure to ask for plenty of napkins.
I first met the Tunisian stroke of genius as an elementary school student in Ramat Gan, Israel. The little corner store offered a fresh Tunisian sandwich and at lunch time I loved to spend my lunch money buying one, a special treat.
The shopkeeper would take out a fresh loaf of bread, empty the inside (who knows what he did with all the insides), leaving only the crusty part , then proceeding to spread homemade spicy harissa sauce inside and to fill it with goodies - hard boiled eggs, canned flaked tuna in olive oil, fresh salad, black kalamata olives and pickled lemons from the wooden barrels around him. Then he would wrap all of this goodness in a wax paper, and hand it to the little boy with the big hungry eyes...me.
I was in love. And this love has remained with me since, as the Tunisian sandwich has become popular in Israel and amongst foodies in the world.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/voraciously/wp/2019/08/23/with-tuna-eggs-and-potatoes-this-tunisian-fricassee-sandwich-hits-all-the-right-notes/
Years later I am re-living the tasty childhood memory at the Numnum falafel stand. I always loved street food, and the Corona lockdown has allowed me to turn this lemon into lemonade. I make my own harissa paste, fry my own fricassee buns, and pickle my own lemons, constantly searching for the perfect taste. Have I found perfection? come and taste and judge for yourself...every weekday at lunchtime, from 11:30 - 14:00, at 24 Leimenstrasse. And let me know what you think, ok?
