I wanted to write about Libyan food forever, but not because i want to see or put recepies, I wanted to learn as much as possible about Libyan food.
As I discovered a love for cooking, I am interested in knowing more details about what ever I can get about libyan food.
But let me start from the beginning, as the Libyans are dividing themselves into groups according to their origin, Tripoli, Benghazi, Zwara, etc. also the food is different sometimes, and sometimes if you don't know someone from the other city you don't know certain types of food, especially if you are not interested in looking outside the box.
In Tripoli the main dishes are (kosksi, reshtat borma, keskas, dolma, mbatten, and many other dishes), then of course you have Bazeen and there is a fight among the different cities, which one does the best one. Then the so called Borma in Tripoli is called Mgataa in other places. Another nice dish is Ftat, el Jbalia are known for it. In Benghazi there is Mathroda and believe it or not, i have just heard about this dish 2 weeks ago, and i have never tried it before, but i will do my best to get it from somewhere. These were the main dishes, there are some other kinds of foods, like 3aseeda, Zomeeta, bseesa, Gsab (sa7leb).
The interesting thing is that the ingredients are almost the same, but there are small differences in the way of cooking amongst families. As you know, common thing here to say is Family xx does the mbaten in oil only, but family yy put it in the oven after frying it. It is nice and interesting, therefore i always like to ask several people, especially the older ones about their way of doing a dish. You can find some interesting information.
As i am trying to make most of this dishes in Canada, there are somethings missing there, and somethings taste differently, but i never miss taking my spices with me from here, i remember a post about the smell of libyan food, and yes, the food smell strongly, but!!!!! without them it is not even half as good. It is true that i don't like to leave the house while cooking, because i know that all my clothes are smelling, but at the same time i would never leave the hrarat out if i cook bosla. (It is the main ingredient for me)
I learned about these spices, their mixture, how they are done, and the other interesting thing i learned about was fish. For the first time in my life i went to see the fish market, so many kinds of fish, and the seller explains what they are, for what best to use them, he was a nice old man and you can see that he knows what he is speaking about. It was nice for me to see people not giving up their proficiency, it is important to have these people, their knowledge because they are a big part of our culture, it is not the cars and the houses. The smell of fresh fish, but as well the smell of fresh vegetables here is great. I cannot remember having the same smell in Canada, it is the smell of my childhood.
I will continue to discover everything about our food, as long as I am here, and I will try to teach my kids how to love our food as well, and by the way, I have heard about a libyan restaurant over there in Canada.
I would love to post pictures as well of some dishes and the fish market, but my camera is not working so i was not able to make any.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
new way of living
For someone who is not permanently living in Libya, and who is coming for a visit once a year, it is easy to follow small changes that are happening here.
Out of interest i am trying to figure out what i have been missing since my last visit. And there it is again, another visit, observations, listening to people and trying to understand the new changes.
Interesting are two signs on the streets, one for abused women, which seems to be a program for women beaten by their families, and the other one is a hotline for abused children. I would like to try and call this hotline to see if there is actually someone picking up the phone and offering help. But let's be realistic, Libyan life is based on what other people think and say about you, so many things are done and not done because of what others may think and say, a girl coming home late (after moghreb) is not good, what will the neighbors think, the possibility that she is working in a hospital or taking a course is not important. People who barely can afford the daily expensses of kids and house and food, have to borrow money or enter Jam3ya to buy that good (Saloon) so that when guest are coming to their house they don't say that their house is missing something. There is so much pressure and stress put on people here from outside they cannot live and enjoy their life just normally.
Another thing that really is disturbing me right now is the everyday show of cars, gold, houses, mobiles and money. People are mainly not defined anymore by what they are, smart, kind, honest, nice. No, what defines them is what car they are driving, how much they are earning, what mobile they are using and where they are living. It is sad to see how people look at and follow "the rich" people. Girls dream about a husband with money, big car and a big house, (i am not saying this is completely wrong, but the regular guy who doesn't have everything ready, but who would do anything to support his family is much better that someone who has everything and more, but doesn't care about his house, wife, family or kids) the priorities are more and more wrong defined.
Not to mention the Libyan driving, no respect for each others, if people just have some respect for each other and think like muslims and be patient or sometimes give the priority to some one else, the streets would be much safer and faster. You drive along a wide street with three lanes and you wonder why it is sooo crowded, then at the end you see it, there is a groccery shop or a another kind of shop so people are parking infront of it, and when the first lane is fully parked people just easily block the traffic and park in the second lane. just toooo lazy to walk just some additional steps.
I am sad to see all of this, i want to see it much better, i want to see traffic getting more organized, people helping each other and people not judging about others. And i am not saying this because i am thinking i am better, i am as well one of them as all are, i just have a Libyan dream.
Out of interest i am trying to figure out what i have been missing since my last visit. And there it is again, another visit, observations, listening to people and trying to understand the new changes.
Interesting are two signs on the streets, one for abused women, which seems to be a program for women beaten by their families, and the other one is a hotline for abused children. I would like to try and call this hotline to see if there is actually someone picking up the phone and offering help. But let's be realistic, Libyan life is based on what other people think and say about you, so many things are done and not done because of what others may think and say, a girl coming home late (after moghreb) is not good, what will the neighbors think, the possibility that she is working in a hospital or taking a course is not important. People who barely can afford the daily expensses of kids and house and food, have to borrow money or enter Jam3ya to buy that good (Saloon) so that when guest are coming to their house they don't say that their house is missing something. There is so much pressure and stress put on people here from outside they cannot live and enjoy their life just normally.
Another thing that really is disturbing me right now is the everyday show of cars, gold, houses, mobiles and money. People are mainly not defined anymore by what they are, smart, kind, honest, nice. No, what defines them is what car they are driving, how much they are earning, what mobile they are using and where they are living. It is sad to see how people look at and follow "the rich" people. Girls dream about a husband with money, big car and a big house, (i am not saying this is completely wrong, but the regular guy who doesn't have everything ready, but who would do anything to support his family is much better that someone who has everything and more, but doesn't care about his house, wife, family or kids) the priorities are more and more wrong defined.
Not to mention the Libyan driving, no respect for each others, if people just have some respect for each other and think like muslims and be patient or sometimes give the priority to some one else, the streets would be much safer and faster. You drive along a wide street with three lanes and you wonder why it is sooo crowded, then at the end you see it, there is a groccery shop or a another kind of shop so people are parking infront of it, and when the first lane is fully parked people just easily block the traffic and park in the second lane. just toooo lazy to walk just some additional steps.
I am sad to see all of this, i want to see it much better, i want to see traffic getting more organized, people helping each other and people not judging about others. And i am not saying this because i am thinking i am better, i am as well one of them as all are, i just have a Libyan dream.
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