Azday, Gathering Stories of Food - Boulettout - ⴱⵓⵍⵟⵟⵓⵜ & Amazigh wedding

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.

Couscous dishes are quite popular. Couscous with meat is a staple of the Amazigh, and is eaten regularly. Other couscous are cooked less often and only remain part of the Amazigh culinary tradition as part of certain rituals. One such example is Boulettout ‘ⴱⵓⵍⵟⵟⵓⵜ’. Boulettout is made with larger grains of couscous and today it is exclusively prepared for Amazigh wedding ceremonies.

Presently, the Amazigh wedding ceremony of At Willul consists of two simultaneous events. The bride, her family, and friends have one celebration, while the groom, his family and friends have another. Both events span several days. Certain occasions see the groom’s party send a procession to the bride’s. These celebrations retain intricately complex, and culturally rich, rituals that can be dated back a few millennia. 

Boulettout is prepared twice during the wedding festivities.

It is first made at the bride's party on the second night of the wedding, traditionally falling on a Thursday night. As the party awaits the groom’s procession, Boulettout is prepared and put in a large bowl called Taziwa ‘ⵜⴰⵥⵉⵡⴰ’. When the groom’s procession arrives at the bride’s house tradition dictates that the Tawiza is presented to the groom’s party by the eldest female relative of the bride. The eldest relatives hands the Tawiza to the groom’s mother, who then uncovers it in the middle of the house to present the dish. The unmarried women attending the party flock to eat from one side of the bowl, and the other side is given to the unmarried men. According to tradition, the men and women eating the Boulettout will be married soon after. 

Boulettout is prepared a second time, the following night. This time the dish is prepared by the groom’s party in the same Taziwa that was brought by the bride’s party the night before. The party then brings the dish in the last procession to the bride’s party, where it is again carried by the eldest female family member. When they arrive at the bride’s party, the Taziwa is handed to the mother of the bride, who sets it aside until the groom’s procession leaves the party with the bride. Just like the night before, the bride’s mother uncovers the bowl and presents it to the unmarried women and men in attendance. 

Occasionally, Boulettout is also prepared for Aembar’n Thalit, the last day of mourning  for a widowed woman.

This story is part of Azday ‘ⴰⵣⴷⴰⵢ ‘ project, an effort to document the culinary heritage of the At Willul. You can find the recipe of Boulettout and 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 theDepartment for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. The project is conducted in partnership with the At Wellol Movement.