Azday, Gathering Stories of Food - Ibran of Couscous - ⵉⴱⵔⴰⵏ
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 consisting 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.
Ibran ‘ⵉⴱⵔⴰⵏ’ is the Tamazight word used to describe the process of transforming the harvested grain of wheat or barley, into fine couscous grains.The wheat or barley pass through three stages before becoming couscous: Ibran or rolling, exposure to steam, and spreading and drying. The term Ibran can be translated as crushing or curling and refers, in the At Willul dialect, to the process of bending and crushing materials such as metals. In the context of couscous preparation, Ibran refers to the circular movement of rolling the grains of couscous between the palms of the hands, the first part of creating the couscous grain. Additionally it refers to the transformation process as a whole.
Before starting Ibran, the wheat or barley crop is harvested, washed and spread to dry under the sun for several days. Once dried, they are milled and sifted, and left to rest for a night. The couscous grains are then washed again and spread to dry on a Beleri ‘ⴱⵍⵍⵉⵔⵉ’, a traditional large fabric that is typically worn by women. The fabric will be shaken regularly to ensure that all couscous grains are dried.
The utensils used today for Ibran are relatively similar to those used traditionally:
a tawiza (a large bowl)
a large couscoussier (the upper part of a pot with large holes at the bottom to allow the steam to rise)
a large lower pot on which the couscoussier will fit,
An asmsal (a rag that closes the gap between the lower pot and the couscoussier)
A large stick that is sharp at the tip
Large steel spoon
While the materials used to make the pots, spoons and bowls have changed, the process itself remains the same.
Ibran
The clean, milled and sieved grains of couscous are placed into a large bowl, to which a bit of flour is added to prevent the over absorption of water. A bit of water is sprinkled on top of the couscous, and some might even add a drizzle of olive oil and pinch of salt. Once complete, the rolling of couscous can begin. Taking a bit of couscous between the palms of the hands, the grains are rolled in a circular motion several times until they are as rounded and small/fine as desired.
Exposure to steam
Once the couscous has been rolled, it is steamed. To do so, the lower pot is filled with water and put to boil, the couscoussier, (the upper pot), is placed on top, but the couscous will only be placed in the couscoussier once the water is boiling. To avoid losing steam and pressure, an asmsal is placed around the pots to fill the gaps. During this process, the lid should always be kept on the couscoussier. After about 20 minutes of steaming, the couscous is ready and can be removed from the couscoussier. It is then emptied on a spread to cool down.
This first steaming of couscous is different from the second. The first steaming half cooks the couscous grains and helps for preservation. The couscous will be steamed a second time when the time to cook a couscous dish comes.
Blind people have been using more traditional utensils to steam the couscous. Instead of an asmsal, they will fill the gaps between the lower pot and the couscoussier with flour. While this method is not as efficient as the use of asmsal, the flour will eventually turn dry and this will signal to the bling person that the couscous has been properly steamed.
Spreading
While hot, and using a wooden spoon, the couscous is spread over a large piece of fabric to cool down and dry. Usually couscous will not be spread under direct sunlight, as too much light and warmth can create an overpowering taste. It is better to place the couscous in the shade, but once the sun has set it is important to take it inside so it is not affected by the night humidity. Couscous can also be spreaded indoors. It will however need to be shifted using a spoon every now and then.
Spreading is a slow process, lasting days and requiring patience. Both the weather and spreading methods directly influence how long the couscous will need to be spread for.
When the couscous is completely dry and crunchy, it is time to store it. Using the fabric on which it was spread as a pouch, it will be placed in a large airtight bucket or container. Dried couscous is best kept in a dry and dark storage room. Properly stored couscous can be kept for a year or even longer. This is why it is called the ‘food for the year’ by the At Willul.
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 theDepartment for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. The project is conducted in partnership with theAt Wellol Movement.