Banks in Tunisia
Banks are open on weekdays from 9.00 to 16.30.
Money in Tunisia
According to TOP-MEDICAL-SCHOOLS, the country’s monetary unit is the Tunisian dinar (TND). The Tunisian dinar is subdivided into a thousand millimeters. Banknotes in circulation -10,5,1, half a dinar. Coins in denominations of 5.1, half a dinara, 100,50,20,10,5,2 and 1 millimeter. In Tunisia, only local money is used, the circulation of foreign currency is prohibited. You can travel to Tunisia not only with dollars, but also with euros. In all exchange points, even at the airport, the exchange rate is the same, so it does not matter where to change the currency.
The issued receipt during the exchange is the main document for the reverse exchange of Tunisian dinars for foreign currency. Moreover, the reverse exchange is made only at the airport and only if there is a receipt for the primary exchange. In the duty free shops of the Tunisian airport, the national currency – dinars – is not accepted.
As a rule, credit cards of most world banking systems are accepted for payment for services in most hotels: VISA, AMERICAIN EXPRESS, EUROCARD. However, before leaving for Tunisia, it is recommended to consult in advance with the bank’s customer service department whether the card will be accepted as a means of payment abroad. Holders of eurocheques and credit cards can receive cash through an ATM.
Rate: 10 Tunisian Dinar (TND) = 3.59 USD
Cuisine in Tunisia
As in most Arab countries, Tunisian cuisine uses mainly beef, goat, veal and poultry meat, as well as legumes, rice, vegetables and fruits in a wide variety of combinations. Muslims do not eat pork, but they widely use fish (especially tuna, to which, as they say, the country owes its name) and seafood, sour – dairy products (especially cheese) and eggs.
Especially popular are soup with vegetables and veal “shorba” (“chorba”), more like a pizza omelet with meat, cheese and roasted peppers – “tagine”, “burn” – it is the same, but with pepper sausage, stewed veal with olives – “tajine ez-Zitoun”, stewed with chili, sweet pepper and cilantro meat “genaoya”, cold stew “shakenuki” (or “shakshuka”), shish kebab from small pieces of meat or chicken – “brochette”, roasted ram on a spit ” mashvi”, meat “marka” baked in tomato sauce, steamed lamb in a pot, sweet pepper “felfel mahchi” stuffed with meat, small smoked sausages “merguz” and others. special juiciness.
All sorts of spices, aromatic herbs and vegetable oils, most often olive oil, are widely used. Almost all dishes are served with “harissa” – a spicy paste made from red pepper and olive oil, seasoned with parsley, garlic or cumin. Quite a lot of bread is also consumed – on every table there is certainly a traditional “lavash” and a long “loaf” (similar to a “French bun”). Bread is broken by hand and used as a spoon, or as an independent product.
A distinctive feature of Tunisian cuisine is a variety of tuna dishes. It is added to almost everything here – from salads to pastries! An interesting salad of fried peppers and tomatoes with tuna or sardines – “meshuya”, pancakes more similar to pasties stuffed with tuna or crab – “brik”, etc. And be sure to serve “cous-cous” – a dish of millet with stew, sauce and vegetables, usually with a wide variety of ingredients.
Tunisian desserts are quite traditional for the Arab world – baklava (baklava), “asid”, “mahrud” and a variety of cakes with almonds, pistachios, dates, etc. Original “samsa” – thin dough buns with roasted almonds and sesame, rice cake and “malbia” nuts, semolina cake stuffed with dates, cinnamon and candied oranges – “mahrud” or sorghum cake with “buza” nut filling.
The traditional drink of Tunisia is strong green tea with mint, brewed with pine nuts or almonds. Coffee is also very popular, especially with cardamom. The process of its preparation and use is a complex ritual. In large quantities, fresh fruit juices and mineral water (Safiya, Ain Oktor and Ain Garsi are especially popular), and in the south of the country – palm milk (it is drunk chilled).
It is worth trying local varieties of wine such as red Carthage, Pinot, Magon and Château Mornay, white wines Muscat de Celebia, Blanc de Blanc, Sidi Saad and Sidi Rice, as well as pink “Gris de Tunisia”, “Vue de Tibar” and “Chateau Rossi”. The only type of beer produced is Celtia, but the locals are proud of their original date liqueur “tibarin”, as well as vodka “booha” made from dates or figs.