Azday, Gathering Stories of Food - Couscous & the Amazigh New Year

Photo by Bashir Nannis

In the extreme North West of Libya lives the Amazigh community of At Willul. The At Willul have inhabited the area surrounding the city of Zuwara for centuries. Despite their historic roots, much of their history and culture has gone unrecorded. Sadly, this is particularly evidenced by the minimal amount of sources in existence that have preserved their culinary heritage.  

To ensure the preservation of At Willul dishes, culinary traditions, and mythologies, 15 Amazigh elders were asked to reflect upon these topics. The story you are about to read is one of the traditions they recounted. 

The Amazigh people are distinguished by the multitude of their dishes. Couscous, ‘ⴽⵙⴽⵙⵓ’ is one of the Amazigh staple foods. It consists of small grains made out of wheat. The word Couscous traces its roots to the Tamazight language and it is derived from the phrase meaning ‘small pieces’ or ‘well rounded’. Couscous serves as the base for a variety of dishes, also known as couscous. 

In the Amazigh culture, food used to be prepared and eaten collectively. People celebrated, mourned and conducted rituals in the presence of food. Couscous dishes have been cooked and eaten in this fashion for centuries, and are often associated with abundance and good fortune. This is also true for the couscous grains themselves. 

The plain half-cooked grains of couscous have been used in certain celebration rituals as an omen of abundance. As part of the festive gatherings of the Amazigh New Year, January 13, the eldest woman of the household will scatter a few grains of couscous in each corner of the home's living room and yard to bring abundance to the family. In yards and gardens where ant colonies can be found, the eldest woman of the household will also scatter a few grains of couscous by the colony's entrance. Ants are perceived by the At Willul as pure and blessed, and thus feeding them will ensure good omens for the household. 

This story is part of Azday ‘ⴰⵣⴷⴰⵢ ‘ project, an effort to document the culinary heritage of the At Willul. In the coming days, we will be sharing more stories of At Willul culinary heritage. We will also be publishing a booklet containing all the stories and more.

Azday project is funded by the British Council’s Cultural Protection Fund, in partnership with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. The project is conducted in partnership with the At Wellol Movement.