Tunisian Baguette Revolt

Whetstone Audio Dispatch

The most consumed food product in Tunisia is a white bread flute, a baguette, sold at the price of 7 or 9 cents, depending on the size. At its best, it is like a cloud on the inside and crispy on the outside.

This inaugural episode of Whetstone Audio Dispatch reporter Layli Foroudi tells the story of how this breadstick came to dominate Tunisian diets and how it relates to the country’s fragile food security. And yet, while this bread could be seen as a symbol of oppression— the Tunisian baguette has also fueled revolutions and has become a symbol of resistance in the country.

Today, shipments of wheat have been sitting outside the port pending payment, flour is rationed in supermarkets (when it is available) and prices are set to rise again due to the war in Ukraine.

The impending social explosion combines the baguette's dual nature: it is rooted in a history of oppression and it is a source of protest and resistance, which is about more than bread, as we are told by Ahmed Ben Massoud: "It means don't touch my very low level of living."

Whetstone Audio Dispatch is part of Whetstone Radio Collective. Learn more about Whetstone Audio Dispatch here.

Find show notes here.

And transcript here.