Mermez sauce — 340 g

Mermez is a Tunisian stew built on two simple ingredients: a generous quantity of softened onions and chickpeas, bound in a tomato sauce lifted with chilli and spices. It is often served with lamb or veal, but it is just as often eaten on its own with bread. Yooness, the own brand of the Tunisian-food importer SODIC, sells it ready-cooked in a 340 g glass jar under the tagline « Faites comme chez vous ! ».

The jar is ready to eat: the consumer reheats it and serves it as it is, or adds meat for a heartier plate. It makes a quick, filling meal, welcome on weeknights and at the end of the day during Ramadan. The jar is stored at room temperature and keeps in the fridge once opened.

Why list it

• A Tunisian classic that shoppers recognise without any shelf explanation.
• Ready to eat: no cooking, nothing to add.
• A chickpea-based recipe, also of interest to customers looking for meat-free dishes.
• The 340 g format feeds two to three people and matches the Yooness range.
• Stronger rotation during Ramadan, when jarred ready meals are in demand.

On the shelf

Place it with world ready meals or in the North African grocery section, with the other Yooness sauces and near canned chickpeas and harissa, and cross-merchandise with traditional breads. Tip for the end customer: reheat gently, serve in a deep dish and eat it with bread, which does the work of a fork in Tunisia.