Harissa: What Is It and How Do I Use It?

I first heard this word in Paris while eating at a Tunisian restaurant.  Because harissa looks like ketchup, I tried it and discovered it has a fiery taste.  That’s not surprising because one of its key ingredients is chili peppers.  Unless you love extremely hot food, you might want to use just a few drops—at least when you first taste it.

In many North African countries, harissa is as common as olive oil is in Italian restaurants.  In the U.S., harissa (sometimes called harissa paste) is widely available on the Internet but not necessarily found at supermarkets.  Tubes of harissa paste can cost as little as $5.

That little tube could last for a year or, if you are a spicy food fanatic, it could be squeezed out in a week.  I shook a few drops of harissa onto leftover mashed potatoes the other evening, and it added an interesting dab of flavor.