Culture of Libya - Cuisine

Cuisine

Libyan cuisine derives much from the traditions of the Mediterranean and North Africa, with an Italian influence, a legacy from the days when Libya was an Italian colony. One of the most popular Libyan dishes is a thick highly-spiced soup, known simply as "Sharba Libiya" or "Libyan soup". Sharba Libiya contains many of the ingredients of many other Libyan dishes, including onions, tomatoes, meat (chicken or lamb), chillies, cayenne pepper, saffron, chickpeas, mint, cilantro, and parsley.

Bazeen is perhaps the most recognizable Libyan food there is, made of a mixture of mainly barley flour, with a little plain flour. The flour is boiled in salted water to make a hard dough, and then formed into a rounded, smooth dome placed in the middle of the dish. The sauce around the dough is made by frying chopped onions with lamb meat, adding turmeric, salt, cayenne pepper, black pepper, fenugreek, sweet paprika, and tomato paste. Potatoes can also be added. Finally, eggs are boiled and arranged around the dome. The dish is then served with lemon and fresh or pickled chillies known as amsayar.

One of the most popular meals in the Libyan cuisine is batatan mubatana (filled potato). It consists of fried potato pieces filled with spiced minced meat and covered with egg and breadcrumbs.

Libyans prefer to eat at home, except on Fridays, when they enjoy family beachside picnics. For the most part, restaurants and cafes are used by foreigners. Menus have become more sophisticated and one can find a greater variety of mainly Libyan and Middle Eastern cuisine. International cuisine is available in the larger hotels.

All alcohol is banned in Libya, in accordance with the laws of Islam. Bottled mineral water is widely consumed, as are various soft drinks, such as Coca-Cola.

Libyan tea is a thick beverage served in a small glass, often accompanied by nuts. Regular American/British coffee is available in Libya, and is known as "Nescafé" (a misnomer)