Macaroni sauce — 340 g

Tunisian-style macaroni is an everyday dish: short pasta coated in a dense, spiced, deep-red tomato sauce, quite unlike an Italian tomato sauce. Yooness, the own brand of the Tunisian-food importer SODIC, sells the base in a 340 g glass jar, made from cooked and spiced tomato concentrate, under the tagline « Faites comme chez vous ! ». The label names the recipe in French and Arabic.

The consumer heats the sauce, tips in the cooked pasta and serves, or finishes the dish in the oven as a bake. The sauce also works on rice or with vegetables. The jar is stored at room temperature and keeps in the fridge once opened.

Why list it

• An everyday dish cooked several times a month in Tunisian households: rotation is quick.
• A full meal in ten minutes, the weeknight argument families look for.
• A distinctive alternative to the Italian tomato sauces of the pasta aisle.
• The 340 g format matches one pack of pasta for two to three people.
• Sits with the rest of the Yooness range to build a Tunisian ready-meal section.

On the shelf

Two possible sitings: the pasta sauce aisle, where it stands apart from the Italian references, or the North African grocery section with the other Yooness sauces. Cross-merchandise with short pasta and grated cheese. Tip for the end customer: heat the sauce before adding the drained pasta, then let it stand a few minutes so the pasta takes on the sauce, or finish it in the oven.