Why I love food and a list of my favorite recipes
I got into food for a few reasons. Some emotional, some technical, all deeply personal.
First, there’s Mima, my grandmother. Watching her cook was like watching magic. Everything she made tasted 10x better than anyone else’s version of the same dish in a way I still can’t fully explain. Trying to understand why became my first real curiosity about food.
Then, when I was an exchange student in Seattle, my host father whose passion was experimenting in the kitchen. He approached cooking like a science. It is precise, curious, joyful. He taught me most of what I know on a technical level.
But really… my passion for food is because I’m Tunisian. It’s in my DNA. It lives in our memories, our olive oil, harissa, and how we love each other.
I love the creative side: improvising with whatever ingredients I have, reusing leftovers in new ways, tapping into the mind of who I am cooking for, crafting a vibe for a dinner I host
I love the science of nutrition, the cultural context, the stories behind ingredients, the indigenous wisdom that paved the way to modern medicine, and the colors. A plate has to be alive before you even taste it.
I’m always pulled back to Tunisian food. Not out of nostalgia, but because it is my language. When I eat a Mediterranean diet, I feel most myself. I never feel as healthy and whole as I do when I’m in Tunis. Our food is a wonderful blend of African, Middle Eastern, and European influences so I am naturally drawn to foods that carry stories. Below is a list of my favorite recipes and stories. I will be building a cookbook out of them and updating it here. Still a rough draft.
Bon appétit!