Ramadan culinary traditions defy crisis in Libya

Dressed in tracksuits with their sleeves rolled up, about 30 residents in Tajura, a suburb east of Libya's capital Tripoli, volunteer every day to cook and give away some 300 meals during Ramadan.

The men 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 free meals for people fasting during the Muslim holy month.

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 is also a symbol of 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 Muammar Gaddafi.

"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.

"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.

In the capital, around 22 kilometers away, another culinary delicacy is making a resurgence...