tmatem طماطم
Tunisian Derja · noun
“tmatem” (طماطم) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning tomato(es).
Meanings
- tomato(es)
- tomato paste (colloquial)
Usage
Tmatem means tomato. It is a collective noun: "tmatem" means "tomatoes", and the singular is tmatma, "a tomato". In Tunisian cooking, the word very often means canned tomato paste, the base of most sauces: "7ott chwaya tmatem fel marka". You also hear tmatem m9achra (peeled tomato) and a salad of tmatem w filfel. So keep in mind that in a recipe, tmatem does not necessarily refer to the fresh vegetable.
Example
شريت كيلو طماطم من السوق.
chrit kilo tmatem mel souk.
“I bought a kilo of tomatoes at the market.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “tmatem” but also “tmatim”, “tmetem” and “tomatem”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.