Ommik Houria is a Tunisian salad made from carrots. The name translated to English means ‘Your Mother Angel’ Salad.’ Between a mix of myth and fact, the Tunisians believe that the first person in history to prepare this dish was a woman named ‘Angel.’
Legend has it that Angel dyed her hair with Henna; the same color as carrots, which is the key ingredient in preparing Ommik Houria. What makes Ommik Houria salad unique is its way of preparation. Unlike most salads that are eaten raw, Ommik Houria is cooked. When perfectly prepared, the delicacy is tasty and vibrant, and it’s an excellent pick for a vegan.
Before we get down to today’s recipe, here is an overview of the Tunisian dining culture:
Tunisian dining culture
Tunisian culinary art is a blend of French and African flavors. When enjoying meals, people sit in a manner called “mida” around a low table or a mat on which a bowl is placed. The low table used in this case is to enable everyone to reach the food.
People are seated in groups of 4 to 5. Men and women eat separately, with men taking the lead. Children are expected to be on their own while the elders also take food from one bowl. When dining, they take water from a communal water glass that goes around from one person to the other.
When ushered for a meal, you should remove shoes before entering the house. Eating is done with the right hand, and patience is critical during meals. Eating only commences when the host blesses the food and users everyone to dig in.
[bctt tweet=”When invited for a meal in any Tunisian home, you need to be patient until the host blesses food and ushers you all to dig in”]
Now let’s get down to our recipe.
Serves: 2
Cuisine: Tunisia
Ingredients
3 medium-size carrots
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 garlic clove
1 teaspoon of Harissa
Pepper and salt to taste
Parsley
1 boiled egg
Procedure
- Clean your carrots then put them in a pot together with the garlic. Add water and cook for about 30minutes until they are soft.
- Put the soft carrots and garlic in a bowl and smash to have a carrot puree.
- Add the teaspoon of Harissa to the carrot puree then season with olive oil, salt, and pepper to get the best taste.
- Garnish with parsley and slices of boiled egg and enjoy
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