Tunisian Carrot Salad: Omek Houria

Omek houria (أمك حورية) is a slightly spicy Tunisian carrot salad and the dish is often on the menu in every family. It is quick to make and you usually have all the necessary ingredients in your pantry.

In Tunisia, it is a very traditional salad. In its basic form, omek houria is made with carrots, homemade harissa, garlic , extra virgin olive oil, and salt. Some like to add an extra dimension with feta, herbs such as caraway or coriander , and vinegar. The dish can be garnished with pieces of tuna, halved eggs, chopped parsley , halved olives, or capers . Finally, the dish is always drizzled with extra virgin olive oil.

The reader of this article is probably wondering at this point what the name omek houria means. Well, omek means "mother" and houria is translated almost everywhere on the internet (and even Google Translate) as "mermaid". You also sometimes come across "fairy" or "angel", but that is all nonsense. No, a houria is a nymph in the Islamic world. The imagery is undoubtedly borrowed from Ancient Greece, where a nýmphē (νύμφη) was a kind of goddess or force of nature. The term meant 'young woman', 'bride' or 'young, beautiful wife'. In other words, omek houria means 'mother (is a) nymph ' and is a great compliment to the lady of the house.

Ingredients
- 500 grams carrots
- half teaspoon harissa
- two finely chopped garlic cloves
- four tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- sea salt

Directions
Peel the carrots and cut them into slices of about one centimeter thick. Bring a pan of water to the boil, add the carrots and cook until very soft. Drain the carrots and mash them with a fork until smooth. Season with salt. Dilute

the harissa with a tablespoon of water and mix this, together with the garlic and the extra virgin olive oil, through the carrot puree.

Place the carrot puree on a platter and decorate as desired. Think of boiled eggs, feta, tuna, olives, coriander, etc.

Cover and place in the refrigerator to cool. Serve chilled with pita bread or Turkish flatbread. Sprinkle the salad with a generous amount of extra virgin olive oil just before serving.