Tunisian Chip Extravaganza

About a month ago a certain post-modern Mexicanfood enthusiast that I happen to be intimately acquainted with embarked upon an expedition to Tunisia on a mission to witness a local marriage and also eat as much tasty food as possible (the second goal being a necessary outcome of succeeding at the first.)  She returned with a deep sun tan, a million beautiful pictures, and a quartet of Tunisian domestically produced chips!

Now in case you are not familiar with Tunisia, you may recall a certain science-fiction epic with shiny robots, little hooded men with glowing eyes, and endless walks in an arid desert on a planet farthest from the bright center of the universe called Tatooine.  Which was rather unimaginative, as Tataouine is the name of the desert governate in Tunisia where those scenes (at least in the first movie) were filmed.

Now, those of you paying attention to the recent wave of revolutions in Arab countries may recall that Tunisia was in fact the site of the first revolution in the Arab Spring when the arrest of an unregistered fruit seller led, over the course of month, to the overthrow of the government.  The ripples of change in Tunisia swamped over into Egypt, Libya, Syria, Yemen and beyond, causing mass popular protests and the overthrow of dictatorships that had lasted for decades.  So the lesson is, don’t underestimate the Tunisian people, and don’t keep them from selling their food.

In that spirit, we’ll dive into the intricacies of uniquely Tunisian chip cuisine from the local producers Cerealis and Golden Krispy (sounds like donuts!) over a series of 4 reviews in the following month.  And do feel free to check out Erin’s beautiful photos of Tunisia, its people (especially the spicy sweethearts at the wedding, all inked up) and their food, not to mention her written observations of the visit and the three day wedding ceremony (they have a wedding party each night.)
And, the bride and groom dance over a fish. Seriously.

To kick us off, read below for the first reviews of the familiar sounding Sun Chips Paprika, which you will learn, are not at all what they seem to be.