{"id":56254,"date":"2025-09-01T05:12:05","date_gmt":"2025-09-01T10:12:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/?p=56254"},"modified":"2025-09-01T05:15:45","modified_gmt":"2025-09-01T10:15:45","slug":"harissa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/?p=56254","title":{"rendered":"Harissa"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Elder JimZim<\/strong> is WLBOTT’s <\/strong>muse-du jour<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Gentle Peoples<\/em><\/strong> – I went to my favorite mom and pop middle eastern store, run by an octogenarian Lebanese couple who are a hoot and if there are no other customers, will provide their views of life from a Christian Lebanese immigrant perspective. Anyway, they have canned\/jarred goods and a pita bakery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I was out of harissa (a spicy N African\/Middle East pepper spread). The owner directed me to this brand from Tunisia (as the \u2018original\u2019). $1.49 can – I expect export tariffs on Tunisia (25%) to increase the price to $1.86.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I proudly note the product was produced under ISO 22000<\/strong>. This standard\u2019s remit is:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018ISO 22000 is an international standard that specifies the requirements for a food safety management system (FSMS) for organizations involved in the food chain, from farm to fork.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I would like to volunteer the Elders to be on the ISO Audit team to inspect the farms and factory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u20183. Surveillance Audits:<\/strong>
Regular (typically annual) surveillance audits to ensure ongoing compliance and maintenance of the FSMS after initial certification\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We would enjoy touring the bazaars and street food in Tunis and take an outing to inspect the pepper farms on the foothills of the Atlas Mountains.<\/p>\nElder JimZim<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Lastly, I wrote a Harissa haiku when I was out of harissa:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Harissa - how I miss ya
A staining red paste
To spread on shawarma pita<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
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Droubi’s<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Elder JimZim<\/strong> was referring to Droubi’s<\/strong>, at 7333 Hillcroft Street, in Houston. You can see a nice video of the owners in this Facebook clip: 
https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/watch\/?v=925690686219304<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Harissa – The Nuts and Bolts<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Harissa (Arabic: \u0647\u0631\u064a\u0633\u0629, romanized: har\u012bsa, from Maghrebi Arabic) is a hot chili pepper paste, native to the Maghreb. The main ingredients are roasted red peppers, Baklouti peppers (\u0628\u0642\u0644\u0648\u0637\u064a), spices and herbs such as garlic paste, caraway seeds, coriander seeds, cumin and olive oil to carry the oil-soluble flavors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The origin of harissa goes back to the importation of chili peppers into Maghrebian cuisine by the Columbian exchange[1]<\/sup>, presumably during the Spanish occupation of Ottoman Tunisia between 1535 and 1574.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tunisia is the biggest exporter of prepared harissa. In 2006, the Tunisian production of harissa was 22,000 tonnes, incorporating about 40,000 tonnes of peppers. Tunisian harissa is often made with Baklouti peppers and chilis grown around Nabeul and Gab\u00e8s, which are relatively mild, scoring 4,000\u20135,000 on the Scoville scale. On December 1, 2022, UNESCO added “Harissa, knowledge, skills and culinary and social practices” as part of Tunisia’s Intangible Cultural Heritage.<\/p>\nWikipedia<\/a><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
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[1]<\/sup> The Columbian Exchange<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The Columbian exchange is pretty interesting. A lot of 2-way commerce, especially agricultural products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n