I‘ll be clear up front on this one. Harissa is hot. If you don’t like spicy food you can probably move on. But if you do, well, you’re on to something special.

Harissa is a spread of dried chiles, garlic, tomatoes, caraway and coriander and extra virgin olive oil. Harissa and heat have apparently gone together in Tunisia in more ways than one for a long time.

“As with chocolate,” Majid, the maker, explained, “harissa was a temptation product. It was a symbol of virility for Tunisian men. And it was also for the women the solitary secret enjoyment with which they could share the pleasure and the sensuality between themselves...”

Aphrodisiac properties aside, you can get busy in the kitchen mixing harissa with eggs, with potatoes, with couscous, or whipped into a fresh vinaigrette for summer salads. Goes great on grilled meats, too.