Brik is one of Tunisia’s most iconic street foods — thin pastry wrapped around a savory filling and fried until perfectly golden and crisp. Crack through the delicate shell and the soft egg yolk mixes with tuna, herbs, capers, and onion to create a rich and deeply satisfying bite.

The contrast between the crispy pastry and the creamy center is what makes brik unforgettable. It is fast, simple, and incredibly flavorful while still feeling elegant enough to serve as a starter or light meal.

Served hot with fresh lemon, brik captures the balance of texture, freshness, and bold flavor found throughout Tunisian cuisine.

What Is It?

Brik is a traditional Tunisian fried pastry made using malsouka pastry — an ultra-thin dough similar to filo — filled with ingredients such as tuna, egg, parsley, capers, and onion.

The most famous version contains a whole egg cracked directly into the pastry before folding and frying. During cooking, the outside becomes crisp while the yolk inside stays soft and creamy.

Brik is commonly eaten as street food, appetizers, or during Ramadan and family gatherings.

A Little History

Brik has deep roots in North African cuisine and is especially associated with Tunisia. The dish evolved from Ottoman and Mediterranean pastry traditions, combining delicate pastry techniques with local ingredients such as tuna, capers, parsley, and olive oil.

Malsouka pastry became central to Tunisian cooking because of its extremely thin texture, which fries into a crisp shell without becoming heavy. The combination of egg and tuna eventually became the classic filling most associated with Tunisian brik today.

Brik is traditionally eaten by hand, often while still very hot, with lemon squeezed over the top just before eating.