Tunisians pull out all stops for Eid sweets

2008-09-30

An important component of Eid celebrations in Tunisia, sweets can cause Tunisians to travel long distances for regional specialties, wait for hours in long queues or stay up all night preparing them at home.

By Mona Yahia for Magharebia in Tunis – 30/09/08

[Mona Yahia] Tunisian sweets come in all shapes and sizes, and Tunisians will go to great lengths to ensure a good supply during Eid.

Together with new clothing and delicious meals, Tunisians consider Eid sweets to be an important part of the celebrations surrounding the last days of Ramadan.

The sweets vary from the expensive "kaak al waraka" and "baklava" to the more affordable "maqroudh" and "graiba". Both hosts and guests offer the sweets during the customary visits to one another's homes.

"The most important thing in these occasions is the exchange of Eid wishes and receiving the family," said Karima Jaami, 40, brushing aside any criticism that holiday sweets provide an occasion for wealthy families to brandish their wealth.

"There are families that meet only in Eid. As to the value of sweets and their prices, they don't mean anything in comparison to the family values. Each person can purchase whatever they want based on their capabilities and budgets."

Some of the sweets are associated with specific regions of Tunisia. Many people prefer to go to Kairouan in central Tunisia to buy the locally-made maqroudh the city has made famous. The town of Zaghouan is known for its kaak al waraka and sweets from Sfax are highly regarded for their quality. In southern Tunisia the recipes for other types of sweets, such as zlabia and mkarek, have been handed down for generations.

In Tunis, customers sometimes wait for hours on end to make purchases at sweets shops. From time to time, quarrels break out between customers who grow impatient, or due to differences with the traders who become like kings on these occasions, whereas the customers turn into slaves because of their need for the sweets.

"Whatever the quality of the product is, we are forced to buy it," said Hedi Ben Said, 50. "As to the issue of quality, it is the duty of the two ministries of trade and health… I call for more firmness in the control of shops and oversight of prices that are raised without reason."

The traders reject the accusations of price gouging.

"I don't know why the customers are objecting," said Hajj Mahmoud, the owner of a sweets shop in the old markets of Tunis. "They know that the prices of raw materials are continuously on the rise in world markets. The prices of almonds, groundnut, fertiliser, eggs and all components of sweets have all gone up. Therefore, it is natural that the prices be high."

The Ministry of Health revealed recently that it has carried out 63,000 health inspections, including the analysis of 4,200 food samples. The Ministry said it has sent out 440 written warnings and proposed the closure of 152 shops.

News such as this only encourages those families who try to keep alive the tradition of making sweets at home.

Although younger generations tend to take the easy road – buying sweets from shops, older Tunisians still prefer to prepare them at home and cook them at public bakeries. It is not yet uncommon to see scenes of women, children or even men with containers of sweets balanced on their heads, making their way to a local bakery, particularly in the poorer neighbourhoods.

"I spent the entire night helping my mother make graiba," Mounira Kamoun told Magharebia. "It's difficult and tiring. However, my mother still insists on making the Eid sweets at home. She says they are better quality, cleaner and less expensive."