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Bsissa
Bsissa: roasted barley and spice flour stirred with olive oil and dates for a quick Tunisian breakfast
A tin of bsissa sits in many Tunisian kitchen cupboards, from Tunis flats to farmhouses in the south: a finely ground flour of roasted barley, roasted chickpeas and spices such as coriander, fennel and aniseed. In the morning a few spoonfuls are worked with olive oil and something sweet into a nutty, crumbly paste, or stirred with water into a thick drink, and it keeps you going until lunch. Travellers and pilgrims once carried it for the road. Roasting your own flour takes 15 minutes and makes a jar that lasts weeks. Sugar and dates keep it vegan; some families use honey. Chef's tip: roast the flours separately over a low heat and stir constantly; the moment they smell like toasted biscuits and turn light tan, tip them out of the pan.
- Total time
- 25 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the bsissa flour
To serve
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Toast 5 ½ oz barley flour in a dry frying pan over a low heat, stirring and scraping constantly, for 8–10 minutes, until it is evenly light tan and smells nutty. Tip it into a bowl.
10 minStep 2: Toast 1 ¾ oz chickpea flour the same way for 4–5 minutes, until a shade darker and fragrant, and add it to the barley. A common mistake is toasting both together on high heat; the chickpea flour burns long before the barley is done.
5 minStep 3: Stir in 1 tsp ground coriander, 1 tsp ground fennel seeds, ½ tsp ground aniseed, ¼ tsp ground cumin and 1 pinch salt and leave to cool for 5 minutes. Store what you do not use in an airtight jar for up to 6 weeks.
5 minStep 4: For each serving, put 4 tablespoons of bsissa in a bowl with a tablespoon of 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, a quarter of 6 soft dates and of 2 tbsp sugar. Rub together with a spoon or your fingers into a crumbly, moist paste.
Step 5: For a softer breakfast, stir in a little ½ cup cold water until it is like thick porridge. Top with 2 tbsp toasted almonds and eat straight away.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 47 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Fibre
- 7 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does bsissa take?
- About 25 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- What can I use instead of ground coriander?
- Coriander seeds, toasted and ground.
- What can I use instead of ground fennel seeds?
- Aniseeds, same amount (a stronger liquorice taste).
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