Tunisia’s flavours and music land in The Hague

By Guido Lanfranchi.

On March 20^th, 2019, a combination of Tunisian flavours and music filled the Crowne Plaza hotel in The Hague. A large number of guests, including several Ambassadors, diplomats, and businessmen, gathered to enjoy the night, impeccably co-organized by the Tunisian Embassy in The Hague, the Tunisian Tourist Office, the Diplomat Magazine, and the hotel’s staff.

A glass of tasty mint tea, accompanied by traditional Tunisian music playing in the background: this was the pleasant welcome offered to the guests attending the inaugural dinner of the “Tunisian Gastronomic Days”, held in the evening of March 20^th, 2019. At the entrance, H.E. Mr. Elyes Ghariani, Ambassador of Tunisia in the Netherlands, and Mr. Patrick Aarsman, General Manager of Crowne Plaza, welcomed the incoming guests as they swiftly filled in the hotel’s dining room.

Starting from the room’s entrance, the ambiance immediately recalled Tunisia. Typical Tunisian objects and spices were on display at the doorway to welcome the guests, images of different Tunisian cities and sites were used to identify the different tables, and even the hotel’s staff uniforms were modelled on the Tunisian style.

The red colour was featuring everywhere in the room, and the Tunisian flag was proudly displayed nearby the stage. On the stage, an experienced musical trio, composed by Mrs. Lamia Ktata, Mrs. Rim Belhedi, and Mrs. Fatma Dridi, entertained the guests with traditional Tunisian music for the whole duration of the event.

The music was briefly interrupted only to open the floor for the hosts’ introductory remarks. Mr. Aarsman was the first to address the guests, thanking them for their participation and warmly welcoming the excellent cooperation with the Tunisian Embassy and with Diplomat Magazine in the event’s organization.

These words were echoed by those of Ambassador Ghariani, who outlined the night’s program to the guests. The Ambassador proudly introduced the musicians, as well as the two professional chefs, Mr. Taieb Bouhadra and Mr. Haykel Ben Zaidra, who had flown directly from Tunisia in order to allow the guests to taste the real flavours of their country.

In his introductory remarks, Ambassador Ghariani underlined how Tunisia’s position at the centre of the Mediterranean Sea has always made the country a crucial crossroad in the region. Different peoples, goods, and ideas from Africa, Europe, and the Middle East historically converged in Tunisia, dramatically enriching the country’s cultural diversity.

And how to show such rich culture to the world, if not through a night like this? The Ambassador thus invited the guests to enjoy the “Tunisian Gastronomic Days”, set to last from the 20^th to the 23^rd of March, and gave the floor toMr. Mohammed Attia, Director of the Tunisian Tourist Office in the Netherlands, who outlined his office’s activities and invited the guests to enjoy the full Tunisian experience of the night.

As the music restarted to fill the room, the appetizers started to arrive on the guests’ tables. Berber harissa and sidi daouad tuna, accompanied by Tunisian extra virgin olive oil, prepared the guests’ palate for the chorba frik soup with octopus.

These appetizers were followed by a wide mix of salads, including the typical slata mechouia with tuna, the houriya salad with anchovies and olives, the kerkanies octopus salad, as well as a typical Tunisian salad with apples. These entrées, together with the meat banadhej and the typical Fatma fingers,set the stage for the main course of the night, composed by the marka halouwa with tibar lamb, as well as chicken with olives and preserved lemons, and accompanied by couscous with Maltese oranges and borghol with vegetables.

This tasty and extremely variegated combination of plates was closed by a Tunisian dessert, the assida with zgougou, and by an assortment of Tunisian pastries. To accompany this extraordinary meal, the guests could also choose between two different wines, the red Magon Majus and the white Chardonnay Clipea.

During the whole night, the trio’s music served as a relaxing background for the conversations among the guests, who remained in the Crowne Plaza’s dining room until late. At the end of the night, Ambassador Ghariani and Mr. Aarsman could be heard thanking each other for the mutual collaboration in the organization of the event: actually, it is up to us and to all the guests to thank both of them for such an interesting, well-organized, and pleasant night!