Zrir: Not Your Typical Pastry
Most Tunisian sweets are built around pastry — layers, folds, or rings. Zrir is different. It's a smooth, spoonable confection made from ground almond and hazelnut bound with sesame, and it's unlike anything else on our menu. There's no phyllo, no baking rings, no syrup drizzle — just a dense, nut-forward paste traditionally reserved for special occasions in Tunisian households.
Bjawia: When Daarna Goes All-In on Nuts
If zrir is about texture, bjawia is about intensity. It's a dense, satisfying confection built almost entirely from premium almonds, pistachios and hazelnuts, with barely anything else getting in the way. We offer three variations — Almond & Pistachio, Mix Nuts (Almond, Pistachio & Hazelnut), and Pine Nuts, Almond & Pistachio — each leaning into a slightly different nut combination for anyone who wants a purer, less-sweet treat.
Why These Two Are Harder to Find
Zrir and bjawia don't travel or photograph as well as a layered baklawa or a shaped butterfly pastry, which is part of why you won't see them on most "Tunisian dessert" lists outside of Tunisia itself. They're closer to a confection than a pastry, made in smaller batches, and rooted more in tradition than in presentation — which is exactly why they're worth seeking out if you want to go beyond the more commonly exported Tunisian sweets.
A More Everyday Option: Traditional Energy Balls
Not every Tunisian nut treat is reserved for special occasions. Our Traditional Energy Balls are hand-rolled from premium nuts in eight varieties — including Almond, Hazelnut & Pistachio, Hazelnut, Almond & Hazelnut, and Almond & Pine Nuts — and make a lighter, more everyday way to enjoy the same nut-forward flavors found in zrir and bjawia, without the richness of a special-occasion confection.
Where to Start
If you already love bold, less-sweet flavors, order bjawia first. If you're curious about something genuinely different from typical Tunisian pastry, zrir is the one to try. And if you want an everyday nut-based treat you can reach for regularly, the Traditional Energy Balls are the easiest place to begin.