An ample coastline on the Mediterranean means fish is a dietary staple for the northern region of Tunisia, and the existence of lakes further south also allows for seafood. The spice from green peppers and red chili pepper, which is commonly grounded up with garlic and olive oil and called harissa, is in almost all Tunisian food because those peppers grow bountifully in Tunisian agriculture. Warm-weather vegetables, like eggplant, peppers, tomatoes and pumpkin, can be found fresh in the little vegetable shops on my street year-round. Olive oil is Tunisia's biggest export, and in 2019 Tunisia was actually the third biggest exporter of olive oil in the world! Olive trees are plentiful in my neighborhood and I often see the hard green olives on the ground at the school I work at. Many people buy their olive oil straight from the presser at an olive orchard outside the city.
