Baku Kitchen! An independent reference of traditional food

Libya

Libya’s food is built around sparse, bold Saharan-Mediterranean cooking: barley bazin domes, spicy tomato pastas and Italian-influenced flavours laced with chili and turmeric. Look for Bazin (dense barley-dough dome with tomato-lamb sauce, potatoes and eggs, eaten communally), Sharba libiya (lamb, orzo, tomato and dried-mint Ramadan soup, dusted with bzar spice) and Mbakbaka (pasta cooked directly in a spicy chickpea and lamb tomato broth). Barley dough is beaten in the pot with a wooden stick until dense, then domed on a shared platter; each eater takes the wedge before them. This atlas has 29 Libya dishes catalogued below, from everyday cooking to food kept for festivals and special occasions.

29 dishes.

AsidaAsidasmooth wheat-flour dome pooled with date syrup and butter; birth celebrationsBakalawa bil jibnaBakalawa bil jibnaFilo baklava filled with sweet cheese cream and rose waterBasbousa bil tamrBasbousa bil tamrSemolina cake layered with date paste and almonds, cut into diamondsBazinBazindense barley-dough dome with tomato-lamb sauce, potatoes and eggs, eaten communallyBsisaBsisaroasted barley-legume flour mixed with olive oil and datesCamel milkCamel milkfresh camel milk drunk warm, slightly salty, in the desert southCouscousCouscoushand-rolled steamed semolina with vegetable and meat broth; the national dishDebyazaDebyazaPumpkin cooked down with dates, dried fruit, nuts and spices into a thick preserveFilfel chumaFilfel chumagarlic and dried-chili paste loosened with oil, spooned onto fish and eggsFtatFtattorn pieces of thin dough steamed and soaked in a meat and tomato sauceGadeedGadeedEid mutton salted with turmeric and chili, sun-dried and packed in fatGhraibaGhraibacrumbly clarified-butter shortbread rings, baked for EidHaraimiHaraimifirm fish steaks braised in hot chili-cumin tomato sauceHasa adasHasa adasThick lentil soup with tomato, carrot and cumin, topped with fried onionLagbiLagbidate-palm sap tapped in the oases, sweet fresh and alcoholic within a dayLibyan teaLibyan teasyrupy black tea boiled to a foam; third round with roasted peanutsMagroodMagroodfried semolina and date pastries soaked in honeyMbakbakaMbakbakapasta cooked directly in a spicy chickpea and lamb tomato brothMbattanMbattanpotato slices sandwiching spiced minced meat, battered and friedRishdaRishdasteamed hand-cut noodles topped with chickpeas, onion and spiced sauceRobRobthick dark date syrup poured over asida, bsisa and fresh breadSalata mashwiyaSalata mashwiyaGrilled peppers and tomatoes chopped with olives, egg and tunaSfinzSfinzyeasted fried dough disc with an egg cracked onto it, eaten with honeyShakshoukaShakshoukaEggs poached in a spiced tomato and pepper sauce, eaten from the panSharba libiyaSharba libiyalamb, orzo, tomato and dried-mint Ramadan soup, dusted with bzar spiceTajin mahshiTajin mahshiPeppers, courgettes and aubergines stuffed with minced meat and rice, then bakedTorshi liftTorshi liftTurnips pickled with vinegar and beetroot, served alongside couscous and sandwichesUsbanUsbancasings stuffed with rice, herbs and offal, steamed or simmered; festive dishZummetaZummetaroasted barley flour eaten by the handful with dates, oil or water

  • Rob

    Thick dark date syrup poured over asida, bsisa and fresh bread. Ready in 15 min prep and 1 hour 30…

  • Bakalawa bil jibna

    Filo baklava filled with sweet cheese cream and rose water. Ready in 45 minutes prep and 45 minutes cooking. One…

  • Basbousa bil tamr

    Semolina cake layered with date paste and almonds, cut into diamonds. Ready in 40 minutes prep and 45 minutes cooking.…

  • Bsisa

    Roasted barley-legume flour mixed with olive oil and dates. Ready in 20 min prep and 40 min cooking. 1 jar,…

  • Camel milk

    Fresh camel milk drunk warm, slightly salty, in the desert south. A drink recipe from Libya.

  • Debyaza

    Pumpkin cooked down with dates, dried fruit, nuts and spices into a thick preserve. Ready in 45 minutes prep and…

  • Filfel chuma

    Garlic and dried-chili paste loosened with oil, spooned onto fish and eggs. 20 min to prepare. 1 jar, about 250…

  • Ftat

    Torn pieces of thin dough steamed and soaked in a meat and tomato sauce. Ready in 45 minutes prep and…

  • Gadeed

    Eid mutton salted with turmeric and chili, sun-dried and packed in fat. A charcuterie & cured recipe from Libya.

  • Ghraiba

    Crumbly clarified-butter shortbread rings, baked for Eid. Ready in 25 min prep and 18 min cooking. About 30. A dessert…