I discovered lablabi about 20 years ago on my first trip to Tunisia. While it’s rare to find lablabi in the U.S., in Tunisia, you can’t walk a block without passing a shop selling it. It’s the country’s national dish, the soul food of Tunisia, enjoyed at any time of day. From truckers in t-shirts to top executives in Parisian suits, from teenagers to octogenarians, everyone crowds into lablabi shops, shoulder to shoulder, slurping delicious spoonfuls of this steaming soup.
Lablabi has everything: a bowl of garlic-scented chickpea broth with chunks of bread, preserved lemons, and harissa at its most basic—plus a long list of optional ingredients you can add. It’s good for you, easy to make, and endlessly adaptable. The spice level is up to you—I like a lot of harissa in mine, but you can keep it mild if you prefer. With just a few shelf-stable ingredients, you can throw it together in under 30 minutes. It’s also a great way to entertain: make a big pot of lablabi, set out the condiments, and let everyone serve themselves, eat well, get warm, and try something new.
The quality of the ingredients is, as always, important. As you might already know, I’m an avid fan of everything we get from the Mahjoub family in Tunisia. All of their products are hand-made according to traditional family recipes, most are organic, and all of them are outstandingly good. Take note though, the chickpeas, the harissa, and the preserved lemons are critical flavor components. As Majid Mahjoub, always poetic and philosophical about his food, reminds me:
Preserved Lemon and Harissa are the principal protagonists of the Tunisian cuisine! Both of them have their roots deeply in our heart & soul!
Harissa was basically the condiment that helped the cuisine of the poor peoples of North Africa come alive. There is without question something seductive in this sauce…notes that come out all over the place but create this hot, mellifluous, marvelous set of flavors.
Before they eat, many Tunisians take a couple of soup spoons and “toss” the stew in the bowl to mix all the ingredients together. I’ve seen a number of folks add a poached egg to their bowl. Definitely a nice addition. It’s also very good with tuna—which Tunisians, in general, eat in abundance. The Ortiz tuna from the Basque Country is wonderful. The Fishwife tuna is terrific too. And some folks use chopped cilantro as an additional topping. Christopher Kimball at Milk Street once called lablabi “the best soup in the world,” and right now, I’m inclined to agree! Brighten a later winter day with a nice, big, wonderfully warming bowl of it soon!
