Ramadan culinary traditions unify Libyans amid crises

Around 30 male residents of Tajura, a suburb east of Libya's capital, of all ages join efforts to make Bazin, a Libyan barley — based dough served with a stew — as part of a campaign coupling social solidarity with culinary tradition to provide some 300 free meals to fasting Muslims in Ramadan.

Akin to Italian polenta or West African fufu, Bazin, an originally Berber dish, is a classic family meal from Tripolitania, the historic northwestern region of Libya.

It symbolises 'sharing' for Libyans, typically eaten by hand from a shared platter around which guests sit on the ground.

"In the old days, this dish was limited to the homes" where it was prepared by women and served "to relatives and neighbours," said Salem Omrane, a chef at the initiative which took shape after the 2011 uprising that overthrew longtime leader Gaddafi, Muammar.

"We offer these meals to everyone who comes," the 60-year-old told AFP. Next to him, men in groups of three revolve around a large pot with long sticks in hand, mixing the barley flour in boiling salted water.

Once cooked, for at least an hour, the steaming-hot dough is kneaded and divided into smaller pieces, which are turned into dome-like shapes, then placed in a bowl with a stew of beans, tomatoes and spices.

Meat, once essential, is absent due to its soaring prices. But the volunteers make do.

"We went from a saucepan to a pot, then from a pot to two, and now we serve between 300 and 400 meals per day," said Issam al Tayeb, a 57-year-old resident of Tajura who came to help.

Sfinz doughnuts

In the capital, Tripoli, another culinary delicacy is making a resurgence this Ramadan: Sfinz, a deep-fried, soft doughnut made with leavened dough, usually filled with an egg or dipped in honey. Once an affordable street food eaten on the go, Sfinz has become a luxury for many Libyans amid the soaring cost of living.

"Customers buy within their means," said Mohamad Saber, who runs a Sfinz shop on the outskirts of Tripoli.

"Today, a tray of eggs costs 20 dinars (around $4), which has raised the price of egg sfinz to 3.5 dinars" from just a few pennies, he said.

Libya's economic crises

The country is still struggling to recover from the years of war that followed the killing of Gaddafi in 2011.

The North African country remains split between two rival administrations in Tripoli, in the west, and Benghazi in the east.

Despite having the continent's largest oil reserves and abundant natural gas deposits, enduring instability has undermined the economy and weighed heavily on the standard of living in Libya.