Bsissa with Honey and Olive Oil
A roasted flour of wheat, barley, and chickpeas perfumed with seeds (fennel, anise, coriander), bound with olive oil and honey or water into a soft, nourishing paste. The strengthening breakfast of children, travelers, and convalescents.
A roasted flour of wheat, barley, and chickpeas perfumed with seeds (fennel, anise, coriander), bound with olive oil and honey or water into a soft, nourishing paste. The strengthening breakfast of children, travelers, and convalescents.
With age, my doctors watched over my table, and I confess they were right: a statesman must care for his body as he cares for his country. Bsissa was prepared for me as a child, and I remained faithful to it — a few spoonfuls of this roasted flour, a drizzle of our olive oil, a drop of honey. It sustains the body all morning without weighing it down. That is the wisdom of our grandmothers: to nourish without excess.
- •Roasted and ground wheat and barley — base (fortifying cereals)
- •Roasted ground chickpeas — one part (protein legume)
- •Fennel seeds, anise, coriander — to perfume (flavors and digestion)
- •Olive oil — drizzle (fat binder)
- •Honey or crushed dates — to taste (sweetness)
Bsissa with Honey and Olive Oil
A roasted flour of wheat, barley, and chickpeas perfumed with seeds (fennel, anise, coriander), bound with olive oil and honey or water into a soft, nourishing paste. The strengthening breakfast of children, travelers, and convalescents.
Why this dish? Concerned about his health, especially with age, Bourguiba followed a monitored diet. Bsissa — an ancestral blend of roasted and ground cereals and legumes — is the Tunisian health food par excellence: nourishing, digestible, energizing, passed down through generations as a fortifier.
With age, my doctors watched over my table, and I confess they were right: a statesman must care for his body as he cares for his country. Bsissa was prepared for me as a child, and I remained faithful to it — a few spoonfuls of this roasted flour, a drizzle of our olive oil, a drop of honey. It sustains the body all morning without weighing it down. That is the wisdom of our grandmothers: to nourish without excess.
Ingredients (period version)
- Roasted and ground wheat and barley — base (fortifying cereals)
- Roasted ground chickpeas — one part (protein legume)
- Fennel seeds, anise, coriander — to perfume (flavors and digestion)
- Olive oil — drizzle (fat binder)
- Honey or crushed dates — to taste (sweetness)
Ingredients
- Ready-made bsissa flour (or homemade mix of roasted wheat+barley+chickpeas) — 4 tbsp (base)
- Extra virgin olive oil — 2 tbsp (binder)
- Honey — 1 to 2 tbsp (natural sweetener)
- Water or milk — a little (to loosen the paste)
- Ground fennel/anise seeds — 1 tsp (flavor)
- Pitted dates (optional) — a few (extra sweetness)
Method
- If the flour is not ready, dry-roast wheat, barley, and chickpeas, then grind finely with the aromatic seeds.
- Place the bsissa flour in a bowl.
- Add olive oil and honey.
- Gradually mix in water or milk until a soft, pliable paste forms, neither dry nor runny.
- Eat with a spoon, optionally with a few dates. For travel, carry the dry flour and bind it on the spot.
How it was made : Bsissa could be kept for weeks as a dry flour in a cloth bag: the ideal traveler's and nomad's provision, bound with water or oil at mealtime. It was also prepared for women in childbirth and convalescents.
The contemporary twist : Served like an 'energy bowl' in a glass, with a spoonful of bsissa at the bottom, whisked milk on top, and a drizzle of honey — a revamped ancestral breakfast.
Habib Bourguiba · Charactorium
