Zgougou

Today is a holiday in Tunisia called Mawlid (or Mouled), it’s the observance of the birthday of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Some people like to celebrate this day with parties, decorations, and parades; others prefer to mark the occasion by spending more time reading the Quran.

One thing that everyone here seems to agree on is that you must make the time-consuming dessert called Zgougou. I tried this grey-brown colored pudding 6 years ago during my first visit here. It tasted just like I imagined a pine tree would taste like, and later found out that it’s made from the seeds of an Aleppo pine. Find out more on Wikipedia.

Most people spent all day yesterday preparing the dessert and are probably enjoying it cold for a breakfast treat right now. I will not be participating in this tradition this year being that I’ve locked myself inside today in order to get some homework done.

A quick overview

There has been a lot of fun things that I’ve wanted to share with you these past few weeks yet without a working camera I’ve felt less motivated to blog about it. Here’s a quick overview without photos to give you a bit of an idea of recent events.

Christmas: I spent Christmas with one of my favorite ex-pat families. We had traditional British Christmas food, opened presents, watched lots of good movies, and just relaxed a bit. Of course I missed my family but thanks to Skype I got to spend some time with them.

New Years: On New Years eve I went to my friend May’s house, just over an hour away on the train. She’s a newly wed and loving married life. Together with her husband and his friends we went out for coffee in a nearby town. Then we went to her parents house where we ate lots of sweets and watched New Years specials on TV. Then at 11pm her husband wanted to go home. Both May and I thought he was really tired, but it ended up that he had a little surprise waiting for her at their house— a little present, her favorite kind of cake, lots of other special treats, and a few close friends. That’s where we counted down the last minute before the new year.

My Birthday: I had a birthday…. I can’t believe it…. each year is going by so quickly!!! In the morning I went out to breakfast with one of my good friends and her three year old son. Then in the evening my expat friends had a nice dinner party for me. It was a fun and relaxing day!

Someone else’s Birthday Party: My friend from paint class invited me to her nephew’s 10th b-day party. It was just a small party, his family and one of his friends from school. We ate lots of little cakes and treats, everyone opened his presents for him, and then we all danced. Their family is so close, it was so much fun to be a part of that.

Food: I’ve had so much good food lately. I’m loving Tunisian food more and more.  I recently had some really good fish from my favorite restaurant in the Medina, I found a new sandwich place that makes the best kebab sandwiches, and oranges are in season so I’ve been making fresh orange juice almost everyday!