Tunisian Bsissa (Toasted Grain and Spice Breakfast Porridge)

About This Recipe

Tunisian Bsissa is a real, traditional Tunisian dish, known as Toasted Grain and Spice Breakfast Porridge. A nutty, spiced blend of toasted grains and legumes mixed with olive oil and honey into a thick, energy-dense breakfast paste.\n\nBsissa is a traditional Tunisian breakfast staple made from a mix of toasted wheat, barley and legumes ground into a fine powder, historically prized as a portable, energy-rich food for travelers and laborers.\n\nThe result is a dish worth making on its own merits: it rewards patience with the technique and delivers real, specific flavor rooted in Tunisian home cooking, not a generic stand-in for a search term.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 150 gwheat flour
• 100 gbarley flour or ground toasted barley
• 50 gground toasted chickpeas
• 1 tspground fennel seed
• 1 tspground anise seed
• 0.5 tspground cinnamon
• 0.25 tspfine sea salt
• 4 tbspolive oil
• 4 tbsphoney
• 300 mlwarm water or milk

Instructions

1. 1

   Toast the flours

   Toast the wheat flour, barley flour and ground toasted chickpeas in a dry skillet over low heat for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring constantly, until fragrant and lightly golden.

2. 2

   Combine dry ingredients

   Mix the toasted flours with fennel seed, anise seed, cinnamon and salt.

3. 3

   Store or use immediately

   This dry bsissa mix can be stored in an airtight container for weeks, or used right away.

4. 4

   Make the paste

   For serving, mix a portion of the dry bsissa blend with olive oil and honey into a thick, spreadable paste.

5. 5

   Loosen

   Gradually stir in warm water or milk until it reaches a thick, porridge-like consistency.

6. 6

   Serve

   Serve as a breakfast porridge, or eat as a thick paste spread on bread, drizzled with extra honey and olive oil.

Variations

• •

  Add chopped dates or dried figs for extra natural sweetness.

• •

  Some households add ground almonds to the mix for extra richness.

• •

  Serve as a dip with olive oil and bread rather than as a porridge, another traditional preparation.

Storage

Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave with a splash of water or stock to loosen the texture.

Frequently Asked Questions