The following highlights some of the popular Traditional Libyan Foods. If you manage to be in an Libyan restaurant or you are visiting Libya, I recommend the following
1. Magrood
Magroods are delicate semolina cakes filled with dates, dipped in honey syrup and sprinkled with sesame seeds. It melts in your mouth and is perfect with a hot cup of tea.
2. Ghreyba
They are made with semolina, coconut and oranges, which is why their texture and flavor are so smooth and irresistible. They are delicious and have an orange flavor. Crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. With a very airy crumb.
3. Couscous
Couscous is undoubtedly one of Libya’s most popular dishes and can be prepared in many ways, with lamb or chicken and other toppings. Couscous is still semolina, which is more versatile because it looks sweet in dishes.
4. Bureek
Burek are dumplings stuffed with meat, eggs and onions, the eggs are usually fried. One of Libya’s most famous dishes is burek, which is a highly recommended dish to enjoy in Libya.
5. Bazin
This dish is a Libyan speciality. It is prepared by mixing barley flour and wheat flour until it is hard enough to form a mountain in the center of the dish and then adding the tasty sauce containing meat, onion, pepper and tomato.
6. Shorba
A Libyan delicacy, it is a soup of oranges, olives, onions, curry, paprika and other rich ingredients. This delicious and very simple soup is served as a first course, you can also add lamb or any meat of your choice and the result is a homogeneous sauce.
7. Asida
This delicious dish is famous in Arab countries and of course in Libya. Its special ingredients are wheat flour (to make a lump of dough) and a tasty butter called rub, and in some cases honey or flavorings are added.
8. Filfel Chuma
Also known as ‘maseer’, it is a hot sauce made from sweet and hot chili powder and crushed garlic. It can be rehydrated with water to make a mild, spicy chili paste.
9. Tajine
This dish has the same name as the dish it was cooked in, which is tagine. The food in tagine is cooked slowly in its own juices by condensing the steam, which is a very efficient way of cooking where the flavors are more pronounced and the meat is very juicy. A tagine can be made with a variety of ingredients such as lamb, chicken, beef or even just vegetables.
10. Usban
This is haggis, similar to Libyan cuisine, a traditional sausage stuffed with a mixture of rice, herbs, lamb, chopped liver and heart. This dish is usually served with a main course of rice or couscous, usually on special occasions.
If you found this list useful, here are some more Traditional African Foods to try out on my Pinterest channel.