eating out

Libyan cuisine is often referred to as “tent cookery”-- tasty and healthy, but not sophisticated. In addition to dishes that consist of oil, milk, rice vegetables, dates, semolina, and pasta products, meats are most of the times prepared in a manner that makes for easily digestible dishes. In this Muslim land, there is a strict tradition that tends to govern most of the eating habits. For instance, at dinner each course is served on a common platter and guests have to eat by helping themselves from around the edges of the platters. Another thing that seems to be related to tradition is that beverages are not served with meals. Another rule is represented by the fact that the person drinking should not breathe into the bowl and he/she must remove it from his lips before beginning to breathe again. Libyan food consists of a mixture between the Mediterranean and North African traditions. If in the past the most important items were wheat, barley, dates, soft fruits, lamb or fish, nowadays a rapid improvement in nutritional levels has occurred. The most common dishes are thick broth made from lamb stock with spices, vegetables and grain, as well as couscous which is a form of braised lamb served with steamed buck-wheat, dried fruits and vegetables.