Azday, Gathering Stories of Food - Pots, Pans & Ancestors

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 their staple foods consisting of small grains made out of wheat. The word Couscous traces its roots to the Tamazight language and 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 couscous grains themselves.

As part of the festive gatherings of the Amazigh New Year, on January 13, a feast of several dishes is cooked during the evening's festivities. This of course typically includes a couscous dish. Amazigh traditions say that on holidays’ nights, spirits of Amazigh ancestors visit the houses of all their descendants. To prepare for their arrival, all  pots and pans used to prepare and present the feast are left unwashed overnight in the kitchen. The ancestral spirits are pleased to see the dirty pots and pans as they demonstrate the abundant year had by their descendants, and their ability to keep the Amazigh traditions alive. This provides the household with merit and makes them worthy of receiving the ancestors’ Tanemmirt, a form of blessing. This ritual, which is a form of continued ancestral connection, is replicated for each major feast hosted by 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.