[2][3] The origin of harissa goes back to the importation of chili peppers into Maghrebian cuisine by the Columbian exchange,[4] presumably during the Spanish occupation of Ottoman Tunisia between 1535 and 1574.

[5] The word derives from the Arabic root harasa (Arabic: هرس) 'to pound, to break into pieces', referring to pounding chilis,[6] a tool traditionally used to make the paste in the Maghreb is called Mehraz [fr],[7] and similar names are used for other pastes in the Maghrebi cuisine, such as "Hrous" which uses the same harissa recipe with a slight difference in the peppers, which are green.

[12] According to cookbook author Martha Rose Shulman, premade harissa tastes rather different from that which is served in Tunisian and expatriate restaurants.

Filfel chuma (Hebrew: פלפלצ'ומה‎), also spelled pilpelshuma, literally "pepper garlic", is the typical chili sauce of Libyan Jewish cuisine which is very similar to the harissa.

[25] On December 1, 2022, UNESCO added "Harissa, knowledge, skills and culinary and social practices" as part of Tunisia's Intangible Cultural Heritage.