I tried to taste as much of this cuisine as possible during my visit to Libya.

The food was much tastier than I imagined, and Libyan sweets are special.

10 of the Most Popular Libyan Foods 

1) Couscous 

The most popular and common food of Libya is couscous. This is also very well-known as a Maghrebi dish. Essentially, couscous is semolina or small balls of crushed durum wheat. Couscous is easy to prepare.

Simply cover it in boiling water or liquid stock from meat or vegetables to add more flavour, cover it and let it steam. It doesn’t take long at all to cook. 

Couscous is typically served with some kind of stew. I enjoyed couscous with this chicken, chickpea and fried onion dish below just after I visited the incredible ruins of the ancient Roman city, Leptis Magna.

2) Shakshuka

I love shakshuka, and I’ve eaten many variations of this dish in other countries like Morocco, Turkey and Tunisia. The ingredients to prepare shakshuka are quite simple.

A tasty sauce of onions, tomatoes, cumin, cayenne pepper (for a little heat), paprika and nutmeg is simmered down then eggs are added. The eggs poach in the sauce. It’s common for lamb or Merguez sausage to be added to the dish too, it adds another depth of flavour. The food in Libya is wonderful, always loads of flavour.

Libyans eat this dish at breakfast time, usually with a big basket of fresh bread to soak up all that delicious sauce. This is a simple, yet delicious food of Libya that I will cook at home.

3) Ghoriba

Traditional biscuits in Libya, and something you shouldn’t miss! I was lucky enough to try some incredibly fresh ghoriba cookies in the city of Gharyan.

They were home-cooked, warm and delicious. Ghoriba is a shortbread biscuit that is prepared using butter, flour, almonds, and sugar.

Some different varieties of ghoriba cookies use pistachios, walnuts, and peanuts too. The best time to enjoy ghoriba is with some Arabic coffee or fresh mint tea.

4) Kebab

For all the meat-lovers out there, kebabs are food in Libya that you will enjoy. These are pieces of marinated meat (lamb, lamb liver or chicken), threaded on a skewer and chargrilled.

The best part is the smoky taste from the herbs used in the preparation and the way it has been cooked.

Expect bread or rice, salads and chips served alongside kebab. I enjoyed kebab in Libya, however the best one I’ve eaten was the Aleppo kebab in Syria.

Read more about 9 delicious Syrian foods to try.

5) Asida 

Asida, also known as flour pudding is one of the most well known and loved foods in Libya. It is often found served during religious holidays and ceremonies.

Asida is prepared by taking a cooked ball of wheat flour or dough. Butter and honey (or sometimes date syrup) is then added to it. 

Traditionally, Asida is eaten with the right hand. Both the middle and index fingers are used to scoop up and enjoy this sweet Libyan dish. Asida is similar to a dish named ‘fufu’ which is predominantly found in many countries in West Africa.

Read our post to learn more about West African food.

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6) Tagine

From my experience of visiting Libya, I’d say that lamb is the number one meat eaten in the country. The Libyan tagine typically uses lamb, or chicken and sometimes just vegetables and chickpeas.

Ingredients such as spring onions, tomatoes, carrots, butter, ginger, and fenugreek paste are cooked down to produce a lovely sauce.

Spices such as coriander leaves, cinnamon, pepper and salt are added too. Once prepared, lemon wedges and olives are served with the tagine. Bread, rice or pasta are served alongside this dish. I love that the food in Libya always has more than one option.

I’ve also eaten delicious tagine in Tunisia (see my favourite Tunisian foods here), my travels in Algeria (the best 10 Algerian dishes, including tagine), and Morocco. 

Recommended posts about Libya

AFRICA Food Map – African Food Guide to 54 Countries

20 Popular Breakfast Foods in Africa

15 Most Popular Foods From Africa

7) Bazin

This is unleavened bread and popular food in Libya. It is prepared by boiling barley flour and salt in water, then beating it until it forms into a dough. Then, it is steamed or baked.

The bread has a tough crust, at first, I thought bazin was sweet bread or a type of muffin. Once you break it open, the inside is soft and is perfect when eaten with a Libyan stew, tagine or grilled lamb.

I enjoyed bazin for breakfast with a slab of butter, boiled eggs and spicy bean stew.

This food of Libya is much loved by the entire nation and many Libyans cook this at home.

8 ) Basbousa

Another delicious food in Libya. A sweet cake from semolina flour that has been soaked in rosewater syrup or honey and lemon. Afterwards, it is topped with slivered almonds and shaved coconut.

It’s perfect when eaten with a pot of fresh tea, or Arabic coffee.

9) Rice Pilaf with raisins and almonds

If you get the chance to eat rice pilaf with raisins and fresh almonds in Libya, do it. The rice for this dish is delicately spiced with cumin, cardamom, and cinnamon. Plump sultanas or raisins are mixed through this fragrant rice and then topped with freshly toasted almonds. I’ve noticed that the food in Libya always has textures and colours.

Rice pilaf can be eaten as a complete dish or stewed lamb or meat can be served alongside. The food of Libya that I enjoyed most was this rice pilaf in the town of Gharyan.

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10) Libyan Soup

This soup is fantastic; I consumed many bowls during my time in Libya. This Libyan dish is a lamb and vegetable/chickpeas tomato-based soup.

Spices such as coriander, chilli powder, turmeric and salt and used also. The distinctive herb stirred into flavour this dish once cooked is dried mint, and it works perfectly.

It reminded me of my travels in Iran, as they flavour some dishes with dried mint too.

Libyan soup is usually served with a few wedges of fresh lemon. I agree that the flavour gets better once you add it to this tasty soup. 

Have we missed your favourite Libyan dish? What food of Libya would you add to our list? Let us know in the comments below.

Our trip to Libya was fantastic; however, this isn’t an easy country to visit for tourists.

Read more about how to visit Libya. This post explains more about what it’s like to visit Libya, one of the least visited countries in the world.

Travel Tips for Africa

We have many travel guides and tips for Africa – what a massive continent!

Have you ever wondered how many countries in Africa there are? 54 or 55? We cover them in depth in our ultimate Africa bucket list.

There is some delicious cuisine to be enjoyed across Africa, and these ten best African countries for food will inspire your food journey.

Check out how many of these 15 most popular foods you can taste.

If you’re wondering what they eat for breakfast in Africa, check out these 20 popular breakfast foods.

For food lovers, our Food Map of AFRICA lists the quintessential dish you need to eat in every nation!

It’s worth reading these 17 ESSENTIAL Things to know before travelling to West Africa, and our packing list for Africa may be helpful to you.

Don’t miss our recap of our travels across West Africa for even more helpful tips, and try these popular West African dishes; they’re fantastic!

You’ll need to stay connected while travelling in Africa. We recommend eSIM. It’s easy, reliable and affordable. View eSIMs for individual countries in Africa, or consider a regional eSIM for Africa (which covers 36 countries)

If your travels in Africa are part of a much larger global adventure, then a Global eSIM may be the answer. It connects you in 124 countries, offering data-only eSIM and data/call/text Global eSIM. This eSIM has been a game-changer for us, and we couldn’t imagine travelling without it now.

If you want to travel with like-minded travellers, consider joining a group tour. Check out our Group Tours first for any upcoming departures in Africa, or view Tourradar for deals on group tours in Africa.

Check out our best-ever travel tips compiled from more than twenty years of experience.