Libya food and drink

[elfin]

Just returned from Libya after a two week vacation. We were primarily based in Tripoli with a side trip into the Sahara near the Algerian border. One of the best places we have been in the world. Private e-mail me if you want travel info or names of restaurants.

Food was plentiful in Tripoli but actual restaurants were not so many. New ones sprouted up everyday-there is now a Chinese restaurant. The food choices are basically Moroccan/ Tunisian (coucous/tangines) and grilled kebobs or machine chicken. Plenty of hummos, baba ganoush, and french fries. The only Libyan dish I saw offered was the soup. At some places it was a spicey minnestrone with mint leaves and chickpeas- and others it was a tomato based rice soup. Cappaccinos made with old Italian machines are about 30 cents and are everywhere. Coffee is sold with or without cardamon. The tea is the ultra sweet minty tea favored in north africa. There is little demand for fresh milk so the long life milk with a forever freshness date is all you can get. Bananas from Equador, apples and iceberg lettuce and red tomatos are common. Did not see any fresh squeezed juices. The butcher shops (did not see an open air meat markets) sell beef, chicken, lamb and camel meats. Our driver loved to hunt rabbit and porcupine in the desert. All sorts of soda pop (every American brand-even Diet Coke) is sold everywhere and they have their own varietys-stick with the known brands. Candy bars are mostly Cadbury with plenty of other chocolate bars available-remember Zero Bars? Pringles and breakfast cereals are sold everywhere too. The spice markets were nothing special-but the vats of black and green olives were delicious. Libya is dry but alcohol is available for those who seek it out. Mostly Scotches or home made hooch. However a multitude of stemware was set on every table. Despite its seaside location fish and fish restaurants are not so common. One fish restaurant was way over priced and seemed to only serve German tourist groups. Typical pasta dishes appear on every menu . Had a good anchovy pizza with thin crust. The most expensive place to eat is atop the tallest building. It suppose to revolve but we never saw it move. Did not eat the the tourist hotel. It is a terrific place and it is nearly imposible to break the bank when dining.

[mnebergall]

Thanks for this post. With the recent thaw in relations between Libya and the US, I have been thinking that it might be possible to visit the land of my birth (former USAF base, Wheelus Field).

[Pan]

Thanks for the report. Was the food you describe as "Moroccan/ Tunisian" so described by Libyans, or is that actually local-style pan-North-African food?

How were you received, and did anyone get into interesting discussions with you?

[elfin]

We were VERY well received-even in light of the Iraqi prisoner photo release during our visit. The people are very warm and friendly. The pan-african food was evident in the Moroccan restaurants. One restaurant served a choice of tunisian or moroccan coucous. The difference was the presence of chick peas-according to our waiter. Shwarma was either chicken or Lamb variety with a terrible mayo-like sauce. Most of these places were very casual and frequented nearly only by men There was a ground red pepper dipping sauce that was served cold with bread at nearly every place we ate. It was not too spicey. We had better shwarma in Lebanon and in Cote d Ivoire. Libyan soup was served everywhere. One neighborhood-Gargaresh-had most of the places to eat. New ones were sprouting up. I regret not trying the Chinese restaurant but we just could not swing it on our busy schedule.

[Pan]

Thanks for the reply, and it's good to hear that you got a friendly reception.

[chefzadi]

The food choices are basically Moroccan/ Tunisian (coucous/tangines)

I wonder why they would have Moroccan cuisine in Libya and not Algerian? There is a huge country that seperates Libya from Morocco called Algeria. Culinarily (is that a word?) speaking Algeria and Tunisia are seperate from Libya by what is called the "couscous line". But I would imagine some of the so called Maghreb tajines would be found in traditional Libyan cookery as well. Zeitoun's description of Lebanese lentil and swiss chard soup could be called a lentil tajine as well. Same ingredients, same techniques.