Azday, Gathering Stories of Food - Birth of a Child & Food

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.

The birth of a child in Amazigh culture has multiple traditions and rituals, many of which revolve around food. One of them is the special soup called Lbroodu, that is prepared for the mother up to forty days after the birth. This soup is said to give the mother enough nutrients for both a good recovery and enhanced breast milk production.

Another tradition is the offering of Aseeda which is made to guests who visit the mother and newborn. Aseeda is a dish made of flour and water and is served with date syrup, or butter and honey. It symbolises rebirth. It is also often cooked for celebrations linked to the birthdate of the Prophet Mohammed.

Linked to past times when the mortality of newborns was high, a special meal is prepared to celebrate a newborn reaching 7 days of life. When the newborn has lived 40 days, it is customary to prepare couscous with lamb. This specific celebratory couscous meal represents the wish for abundance upon the new family member. On this day the infant is officially presented to the extended family. 

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 the At Wellol Movement.