I have often heard nostalgic stories from my mother and looked at endless pictures of Libya’s golden years, a time that seems to good to be true for people of my generation. The 1950’s and 60’s, that brief period when Libya gained independence and Tripoli was a thriving progressive metropolis, and Libyan Muslims coexisted with Jews;…
Category: History
The Spirit of Ramadan Past
Ramadan is a month of fasting and feasting. More pious Muslims will say that feasting defies the purpose of the month, that really it is a month for worship only. But for me feasting is integral to Ramadan. It puts our plentiful food into stark contrast with our daytime deprivation, making us even more grateful…
Hand, Spoon, Fork : The Evolution of Libyan Food Culture
Through my endless readings and observations in Libyan Food Culture since first starting the We Are Food project in 2009, I find myself grouping Libyan recipes into three major categories, Hand – Spoon – Fork, or food which would require one of these three as the main eating utensil. From the very humble diet of the indigenous…
A Likely Story
Unlike the simplistic Bedouin or Berber lifestyles of most parts of Libya, Tripoli has always been a metropolis, a meeting point of cultures and a crossroad for trade. I can imagine the exotic sounds and smells of the souks in the Medina. Just looking at our pantry you’ll find turmeric from India, tea from China,…
World Pasta Day
I have always been mislead into believing that the Italians have had a great influence on Libyan cuisine, but the more I read, the more this conviction fades. When we do think of Italian cuisine, pasta is one of the first dishes that pop to mind. This leads many to the assumption that macaroni (generic…
Changing the Course of History
The memory of ancient civilizations is usually held in their art and architecture. The buildings, sculptures, monuments and mosaics all stand testament to the greatness of their people and provide us with clues to how they lived. Remnants of grand baths and amphitheatres in Sabratha and Leptis Magna portray the Romans as a cultural bunch. …
Just a Spoon, Please
I like to think that I am cultured and refined, but I must admit, when it comes to cutlery a spoon alone will usually suffice when my hands don’t. My husband who is half Egyptian, cannot manage without two utensils; a fork and knife for meat dishes, a fork and spoon for spaghetti. He’s even…
We Are Food 