Slata mechouia is a smoky Tunisian salad of grilled vegetables. Green peppers, tomatoes, onion and garlic are charred until blackened, peeled, chopped and dressed with olive oil, caraway and a little lemon.

It is served at room temperature, usually topped with tuna, hard-boiled egg and olives, and eaten with bread as a starter or alongside grilled fish and meat. We ate it with almost every restaurant meal during our winter in Tunisia.

It takes about 40 minutes and tastes even better after an hour.

What Is Slata Mechouia?

Slata means salad and mechouia means grilled. The vegetables are traditionally cooked over charcoal, which gives the salad its deep smoky flavour, but a gas flame, a grill pan or a hot oven grill all work.

Green peppers are the base, often with a few hot chillies. Tomatoes add sweetness, and onion and garlic grilled in their skins turn soft and mild. Everything is chopped together, by knife or in a mortar, until it is somewhere between a salad and a chunky dip.

The dressing is simple: good olive oil, salt, ground caraway and coriander, and sometimes a squeeze of lemon.

A Little History

Grilling vegetables over embers is an old technique across North Africa. Peppers and tomatoes came from the Americas, so slata mechouia as it is made today took shape over the last few centuries, alongside harissa.

In Tunisia it is one of the most common dishes on any table, from home kitchens to seaside fish restaurants. Topping it with tuna reflects how central canned tuna is in Tunisian cooking, from brik to sandwiches.

Today it is part of almost every Tunisian spread, especially in summer when peppers and tomatoes are cheap and full of flavour.

Planning a trip, or just back from one? Our Tunisian food guide covers what to eat, and the Tunisia travel and food guide covers where to stay and what to explore.