Azday, Gathering Stories of Food - Couscous with Fish

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. Yet, 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 preserving 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.

Given their proximity to the sea and their long-standing fishing traditions, couscous with fish is one of the meals that best characterises the Amazigh of At Willul. In fact, the harbour of Zuwara is home to archeological structures that date back thousands of years. A significant portion of the economy in Zuwara revolves around fishing. Additionally, when speaking about this subject,  elders also discussed life in Farwa, an island off the coast of Zuwara. While it lies uninhabited today, at one point it was home to many fishermen and their families. People living on Farwa Island had developed their own customs, traditions, as well as some Farwa-specific words in Tamazight.

The most popular Couscous with fish are prepared with fresh tuna, angelfish or red mullet. Those fish are chosen for their taste and also their immediate availability. The stew of couscous is seasoned minimally with a few spices and tomatoes to preserve the taste of the fish. Unlike couscous with meat, vegetables are not added to this dish. 

Couscous with Ozef is another couscous dish made with fish. Ozef is made of dried small fish, such as anchovies. Small fish, which can be found in abundance during summer as well as autumn, are caught using an Akernvo, a fishing net specific for fish of that size. After collection, the fish are left in the sun to dry. Once dried, they are placed in sealed containers and  stored to keep for long periods of time. When cooking Couscous with Ozef, the fish can be cooked either in the stew or together with the couscous grains.

This story is part of Azday ‘ⴰⵣⴷⴰⵢ ‘ project, an effort to document the culinary heritage of the At Willul. You can find more stories of Amazigh culinary heritage in the Azday booklet.

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 theAt Wellol Movement.