The cuisine of
Libya is a mix of
Berber,
Arab and
Mediterranean cuisines with
Ottoman and
Italian influence.[1] One of the most popular Libyan dishes is bazin, an
unleavened bread prepared with
barley, water and salt.[2]Bazin is prepared by boiling
barley flour in water and then beating it to create a dough using a magraf, which is a unique stick designed for this purpose.[3]
Pork consumption is forbidden to Muslims in Libya, in accordance with
Sharia, the Islamic law.
Common foods and dishes
Bazin is a common Libyan food made with
barleyflour and a little plain flour, which 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, turmeric, salt, cayenne pepper, black pepper, fenugreek, sweet paprika, and tomato paste.
Potatoes can also be added. Finally,
boiled eggs are arranged around the dome. The dish is then served with
lemon and fresh or pickled chili peppers, known as amsyar. Batata mubattana (filled potato) is another popular dish that consists of fried potato pieces filled with spiced minced meat and covered with egg and breadcrumbs.
Additional common foods and dishes include:
Asida is a dish made of a cooked wheat flour lump of dough, sometimes with added butter, honey or rub.
All
alcoholic drinks have been banned in Libya since 1969,[4] in accordance with
Sharia, the religious laws of
Islam. However, illegally imported alcohol is available on the black market, alongside a homemade spirit called Bokha. Bokha is often consumed with soft drinks as mixers.[8]