Bringing home bambalouni: Discovering Tunisia's sweet tradition

It is often said that travel broadens the mind. This is certainly true when it comes to culinary experiences. Take, for example, a holiday in Tunisia. Besides souvenirs from the bazaar, a gorgeous tan, and pleasant memories, you can bring back something else—like a recipe for delicious bambalouni, Tunisian doughnuts.

I first heard about Tunisian doughnuts, bambalouni, recently when my aunt returned from a holiday in that country. Curious about the recipe, I started looking for more information about this dish; national dishes are often more than just food. This is also the case with bambalouni.

Finding the origins of Tunisian doughnuts would certainly be long and arduous. It is only known that the tradition of serving them dates back many centuries. Supposedly, Arabic and Berber influences and Italian and French influences played a significant role in shaping the recipe. As a result, bambalouni has a large family in Africa and the Middle East; for example, in Libya, very similar doughnuts called sfinz are served.

So what exactly are bambalouni? They are round doughnuts with a hole in the middle, distinguished by an airy texture and serving method, namely dipping the finished doughnuts in syrup or honey. If this sounds mysterious, don't worry; if you have prepared regular doughnuts at least once, you can handle bambalouni!

Ingredients:

• About 250 grams of wheat flour
• About 240 millilitres of warm water
• About 30 grams of fresh yeast
• A pinch of salt
• About 70 grams of sugar
• For frying: oil
• For serving: liquid honey

Preparation method:

1. Dissolve the yeast in warm water with a tablespoon of sugar. Set aside for 15 minutes.
2. Add the sifted flour, remaining sugar, and a pinch of salt to the starter. Mix. Begin adding warm water a little at a time. The goal is for the dough to reach a thick cream consistency. If you overdo it, rescue yourself with more flour.
3. Set the prepared dough aside for 3 hours in a warm place. Remember to cover it.
4. After this time, knead the dough again. Then, form it into balls (you should get about 12-15 doughnuts). Flatten them with your hand and make holes in the middle. Cover and set aside for another 40 minutes.
5. Fry in oil heated to about 175°C. Try not to add too many bambalouni to the oil at once, as this will lower the oil's temperature. Keep them in the oil for about 3 minutes per side.
6. Serve the Tunisian doughnuts with a topping of liquid honey. Enjoy!