Smoking – Tunisian Experience

*Warning! This post was written to answer a common question about Tunisian culture. We do not encourage the use of shisha. We DO encourage you to heed the health warnings cited in this post.* Smoking hookah or “shisha” is a pastime in Tunisia, and in fact, all over the Arab world. To a tourist, the image of men (and sometimes women) sitting around a hookah pipe in an old coffee shop may seem like the quintessential picture of Tunisian social life. For many Tunisians today, that image is actually pretty close to the truth. You may wonder, though, what exactly are they smoking in those hookah pipes? To smoke shisha in Tunisia means to smoke flavored tobacco from a hookah or “shisha” pipe, often in a social setting. According to health authorities, smoking shisha is just as harmful or even more harmful than smoking cigarettes. From a cultural point of view, there is nothing stopping you as a tourist or foreigner from using shisha on your visit to Tunisia. From a health perspective, however, please know that you do so at your own risk! In this post I’ll share some more detailed information on the use of shisha in Tunisia. What is Tunisian Hookah or “Shisha”? First of all, hookah and shisha are the same thing. The word “hookah” comes from the Arabic word for “jar.” Shisha is the word that Tunisians use. The word “shisha” is the Persian word for “glass,” and it refers to the glass base of the pipe that they use to smoke. In Tunisia, I hear them use the word “shisha” to refer to the pipe, the tobacco in the pipe, and the activity of smoking shisha. So, someone in Tunisia might say, “He’s going to do shisha and smoke shisha from a shisha pipe.” From here on out, I’ll just call it “shisha” instead of hookah. Because a shisha pipe looks similar to a bong used for marijuana, some people mistakenly believe that Tunisians are smoking marijuana. That is not the case, at least not when it’s smoked in public. Marijuana is illegal in Tunisia, and it has been since 1953. When Tunisians do shisha, they are smoking flavored tobacco that is specially made for the shisha pipe. If you look at a pile of shisha tobacco, it’s cut into short little strips, similar to the tobacco in a cigarette. It is also very wet, because it’s covered in a thick juice, which gives the shisha smoke a sweet flavor. The shisha juice makes it look very distinct from cigarette or pipe tobacco. Traditionally, tobacco makers made the tobacco juicy and sweet by adding honey or molasses. Shisha in Tunisia is no different from shisha in other parts of the Arab world. Some of the popular brands of shisha tobacco used in Tunisia are Adalya, Al Fakher, and Mazaya. Adalya is made in Turkey, Al Fakher is made in the United Arab Emirates, and Mazaya is made in Jordan. These are common brands smoked by shisha enthusiasts worldwide. Shisha tobacco comes in several different flavors, such as pineapple, mint, apple, lemon, kiwi, cherry, peach, vanilla, bubblegum, and orange. In Tunis, the most popular flavors that people order in cafes seem to be mint and apple. The Shisha Experience Tunisians enjoy shisha for several reasons. The simple and biological reason is just because it’s tobacco. The nicotine in tobacco releases dopamine in the brain, which creates a pleasant feeling. Nicotine is both a sedative and stimulant, so it can make you feel calm and focused at the same time. While smoking shisha causes a nicotine buzz like any other form of tobacco, I think the real reason Tunisians like shisha is because it’s a communal and traditional activity. Shisha is just about always done with other people, or at least in the presence of others. Sometimes you’ll see Tunisian men smoking shisha by themselves at a café, scrolling on their phones. For them I guess it’s a way of being alone in public. But more often than not, Tunisians sit and smoke with their friends. Sometimes a shisha pipe is shared between two or more people, but I have noticed that older men prefer to have a pipe to themselves. Sitting around a shisha pipe is a shared activity and an occasion to relax and chat. Where do Tunisians smoke shisha? Many Tunisians have shisha pipes in their homes, but many opt to go out to a café to smoke. Shisha is served in all kinds of cafes in Tunisia—not just places specifically designated for it. It’s more common to find people doing shisha in all-male cafes, but you can also easily find them in the co-ed cafes and in a kind of place called a “salon de tea.” How does shisha work? A shisha or hookah pipe has a glass base that is mostly full of cool water. Tobacco is placed in the top piece, which is connected to the base by an open pipe. The tobacco is then covered with a piece of aluminum foil or a metal dish, and hot charcoals are placed on top. A flexible hose for smoking comes out of the side of the base above the water line. When a smoker inhales through the hose, it flames the coals and makes the tobacco smolder. This creates tobacco smoke. The smoke is dragged down through the pipe and into the base with water. The water bubbles when the smoke is pulled through the water, and then out the side of the base where it’s inhaled. How much does it cost? One session of shisha at a café costs around 5 to 10 Tunisian Dinars, which is $1.70 to $3.40, or 1.50 to 3 GBP at the current exchange rate. It can be a lot more expensive at a fancier café, or during the Ramadan holiday. One session, or one serving of tobacco in the pipe, can last for a few hours. I mentioned that Tunisians like shisha because it’s a traditional activity. Look up paintings and pictures of traditional Arab culture and you’ll probably find depictions of men sitting on the floor or on short chairs chatting around a shisha pipe. I believe that a big part of the draw to doing shisha today is because it’s something that’s always been done. It makes Tunisians feel connected to their history and culture. WARNING: Health Risks I would guess that most people who do shisha are aware that it is harmful for your health. But just in case you didn’t know, SHISHA IS BAD FOR YOU. The tobacco smoke in a shisha pipe passes through water, which makes the smoke feel cooler and less harsh than cigarette smoke. Don’t let the different sensation fool you, though. The feeling of the smoke does not indicate that it is at all healthier. Health experts have studied and documented the detrimental health effects of shisha. The CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) says that shisha tobacco, as well as the charcoal used to heat shisha, contains toxic agents that cause different types of cancers. Health authorities like the BHR (British Heart Foundation) say that smoking shisha is NOT healthier than smoking cigarettes. It can cause heart disease, circulatory disease, and respiratory disease. The tobacco in shisha contains nicotine just like in cigarettes. So, biologically, it is every bit as addictive as smoking cigarettes. A downside to the communal experience of shisha is that those who participate are sharing a mouthpiece. If one person has a contagious cold or stomach bug, now everyone has it! During the Coronavirus outbreak of 2020, one of the first steps that the government in Tunisia took to reduce the spread of the virus was to shut down the shisha cafes indefinitely. Conclusion As I mentioned above, this post was intended to answer a common question that people have about Tunisian culture. Since smoking hookah / shisha is such a quintessential Tunisian pastime, many visitors may be looking to participate in this cultural experience. If that’s you, consider yourself informed... and warned! Smoking tobacco from a shisha pipe is just as harmful for your health as smoking it any other way.