Tunisian food is well prepared and delicious. Tunisian dishes are cooked with olive oil, spiced with aniseed, coriander, cumin, caraway, cinnamon or saffron and flavoured with mint, orange blossom or rose water. Restaurants catering for tourists tend to serve rather bland dishes and 'international' cuisine, and visitors are advised to try the smaller restaurants. Prices vary enormously, and higher prices do not necessarily mean better meals. Tunis and the main cities also have French, Italian and other international restaurants. Self-service may sometimes be found but table service is more common. Moorish cafes, with their traditional decor, serve excellent Turkish coffee.
Things to know: Although Tunisia is an Islamic country, alcohol is not prohibited. Tunisia produces a range of excellent table wines, sparkling wines, beers, aperitifs and local liqueurs.
National specialities:
• Dorado (bream).
• Couscous.
• Tajine (a fish dish).
• Brik or brik à l'oeuf (egg and a tasty filling fried in an envelope of pastry).
National drinks:
• Mint tea with pine nuts.
• Boukha (wine, distilled from figs).
• Thibarine (wine).
Tipping: 10 per cent for all services.

In Tunisia, the theatre season lasts from October to June when local and foreign (especially French) companies put on productions and concerts. International groups appear at the Tunis Theatre and in the towns of Hammamet and Sousse. There are numerous cinemas in the larger cities. There are nightclubs in the major tourist resorts and at most beach hotels, as well as in the big city hotels. Belly dancing is a common cabaret feature and lively local bands often play traditional music. Casinos are also availabe in Tunis, Yasmine, Hammamet, Sousse and Djerba.

Special purchases include copperware (engraved trays, ashtrays and other utensils); articles sculpted in olive wood; leather goods (wallets, purses, handbags); clothing (kaftans, jelabas, burnuses); pottery and ceramics; dolls in traditional dress; beautiful embroidery; fine silverware and enamelled jewellery. Among the most valuable of Tunisia's products are carpets. The two major types are woven (non-pile) and knotted (pile). The quality of all carpets is strictly controlled by the National Handicrafts Office, so be sure to check the ONA seal before buying. Shopping hours: Mon-Sat 0730-1330 and 1500-1900 (summer); Mon-Sat 0900-1200 and 1500-1900 (winter). Weekly markets: A source of good purchases are the markets which are set up on certain days in many Tunisian towns and villages. All the products of the region are displayed, including handicrafts, farm produce and secondhand goods. There are ONA workshops and stores throughout the country where visitors can buy items at fixed prices. ONA stores make a reduction of 10 per cent on the price of goods purchased in foreign currency. No duty is payable on articles up to £900 in value which are shipped to EU countries, only if accompanied by an EUR1 form. Visitors who make a purchase of more than TND5, anywhere in Tunisia, should ask for a sales slip and keep all sales slips, along with bank receipts for any currency exchanged, for customs inspection.