Around Sfax and Kerkennah

Entirely surrounded by crenelated walls, the medina of Sfax is initially striking. Enter through one of its doorways and be plunged into another era, pulled along by the crowd of shoppers making their purchases among the little stalls. Here is a carpenter making spinning tops out of wood; there, a display of large rounded bread loaves with golden crusts. Pay a visit to the picturesque fish market: the locals of Sfax are crazy about seafood. Pause in front of the curious minaret of Sidi Amar Kammoun, with a medieval charm, then in front of that of the Great Mosque, decorated by a rich filigree of sculpted stonework. Leaving the old neighbourhoods, admire the buildings dating from the time of the French Protectorate: towers in the style of minarets, arched windows and ceramic tiles in the Neo-Moorish style. In Kerkennah, see the shallow-bottomed boats glide silently over the water. Contemplate the serene landscapes enveloped by sand, the sway of the palm trees and the glow of the sun setting over the sea.

The gastronomy of Sfax and Kerkennah is built upon seafood. You can taste, for example, stuffed squid, couscous with cuttlefish or fish cooked “Sfaxian style” (in a sauce). A typical dish of Sfax is fish accompanied by charmoula: an onion marmalade perfumed with raisins and cinnamon, simmered on a low flame for several hours. Taste the sweet and fruity olive oil: the Sfax region alone produces 40% of the olive oil in Tunisia. If there is any one area where Sfax sets the tone for the entire country, it is pastry. It’s certainly the best place to try the delicate texture of kaak warqa, the flaky samsa or the mlabess subtly perfumed with rosewater and orange peel. None of this is surprising as in the region can be found one of the principal ingredients of Tunisian confectionary: almonds, with close to five million almond trees.

Sfax was once the gateway for goods coming from the Orient. Some came over land, with the caravans who crossed the Libyan desert; others, by sea, thanks to the ships chartered by shipowners of Sfax. It was also a powerful family of shipowners, the Jallouli, who constructed the remarkable palace in the medina known by the name Dar Jallouli. From the 19th century, Sfax developed numerous commercial activities: olive oil, banks, textiles, chemistry… which make it today the second largest city in Tunisia. Kerkennah, the neighbouring archipelago, is itself dedicated solely to fishing thanks to an ingenious system: the fixed fisheries. These labyrinths build in shallow waters, built form palms fixed to the muddy bottom, guides the fish towards traps with the fishermen come to collect them. The fisherman of Kerkennah use traditional shallow-bottomed boats with triangular sails, the loudes.