🇱🇾 Libyan Cuisine

Bsisa

Toasted Grain and Nut Powder

Prep Time 30 min
Servings 10
Difficulty Easy
Calories 309 kcal

A nutritious powder of toasted barley, wheat, chickpeas, and spices mixed with olive oil and date syrup into a thick paste. This ancient Libyan superfood is pure energy in every spoonful.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup barley
  • 1 cup wheat berries
  • 1/2 cup dried chickpeas
  • 1/2 cup sesame seeds
  • 1/4 cup anise seeds
  • 1/4 cup fennel seeds
  • 1 tsp fenugreek
  • Date syrup for mixing
  • Extra-virgin olive oil for mixing

Instructions

  1. 1 Dry-toast barley, wheat, and chickpeas separately in a skillet over medium heat until deeply golden and fragrant.
  2. 2 Toast sesame seeds, anise, fennel, and fenugreek until aromatic, watching carefully to prevent burning.
  3. 3 Let everything cool completely, then grind all toasted ingredients together into a fine powder.
  4. 4 Store the powder in an airtight jar. It keeps for months at room temperature.
  5. 5 To serve, mix a few tablespoons of bsisa powder with olive oil and date syrup to form a thick, edible paste.
  6. 6 Eat by the spoonful as a high-energy breakfast or snack, especially valued during Ramadan suhoor.

Did You Know?

Libyan travelers and desert nomads carried bsisa powder on long journeys because it provided complete nutrition without needing cooking or refrigeration.

From The Culinary Codex — http://theculinarycodex.com/dish/libyan/bsisa/