Azday, Gathering Stories of Food - Tebouddien

lllustration by Bjørn Ihler

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.

Tebouddien, which in Tamazight can be translated to large, is a type of Couscous that contains neither fat nor meat. Tebouddien is composed of a mixture of couscous grains, flour and vegetables that are then rolled into large balls. After this process, as is typical for most couscous dishes, the Tebouddien is cooked in the couscous stew. This dish is then served in typical form, on a bed of couscous grains with the stew poured over top.

In the past Tebouddien was  referred to as Osban El Hajala, which can be translated to the ‘stuffed intestines dish of the divorcees’. It had been viewed as a cheaper alternative to the couscous with intestines. The At Willul people generally considered Tebouddien to be a dish for widows, divorcees, and single women. This belief is tied to an historical narrative that suggests single women may not be able to provide sufficient means to cook traditional couscous with meat or intestines. This is rooted in the At Willul tradition that only men had the means to slaughter the animals and provide the ingredients needed for meat and  stuffed intestines. Therefore the loss of a husband  or male relatives often resulted in limited economical means for women and thus establishing the need for flexibility and creativity in the types of couscous dishes being made. Presently, this narrative has taken a back seat, and Tebouddien as a whole is viewed as a delicacy.

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.