bsissa بسيسة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“bsissa” (بسيسة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning roasted spiced grain flour.
Meanings
- roasted spiced grain flour
- drink or paste made from bsissa
Usage
Bsissa is a mix of roasted cereal and legume flours (barley, wheat, chickpeas…), flavoured with spices and often aniseed or fenugreek. It is eaten in the morning, stirred into water or milk, or kneaded with olive oil and sugar or honey. Reputed to be nourishing and filling, it is associated with breakfast, Ramadan and travel. A glass of liquid bsissa is called kés bsissa. It is an everyday word with no English equivalent: "bsissa" is kept as is in English.
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “bsissa” but also “bsisa”, “bssissa” and “bsiisa”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.