Oula Rituals

Ingredients with integrity

We hold the women-led ancient tradition of Oula at the heart of what we do- cooking to the rhythm of the seasons. Oula is a Tunisian culinary tradition where women from the same family or neighbourhood gather to handcraft provisions. A feminine ritual that connects us with ancient practices.

Fresh ingredients are vital to Tunisia’s cuisine, and complemented by the spices and ancestral food blended by hand—such as harissa, bsissa and tabel. In summer, kadid meat, hand made couscous, chilli and tomatoes are dried and cured on rooftops. 

Every November, women from B’s village hand-harvest the indigenous olives in her family's olive groves to produce the exquisite extra virgin olive oil we use at BabéldeB. 

Spring conjures the bewitching scents of traditionally distilled floral waters such as orange blossom ‘Zhar’ and geranium ‘Atershya’. This is also the season of wild rosemary and ‘Nesri' (rosehip) picked from our gardens and foraged in the Cap Bon peninsula.

Every season invites its own rituals. The craft is labour-intensive, but always a labour of love.