Semolina Pudding · Date Syrup

Asida bil Tamr

Photo: Hibo1976 / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0

Diners scoop out a well in the center of the dough and fill it with melted butter and syrup, then eat by pinching off pieces and dragging them through the pool.

A stiff, glossy dough of flour or semolina is mounded on a plate, its center hollowed out and filled with melted butter and date syrup — in southern Libya, date syrup rather than honey is the traditional sweetener, reflecting Fezzan's abundant palm harvests.

Why it's made this way: Asida is served on Eid and other celebrations across Libya, but the Fezzan version leans on date syrup specifically because Sabha's oases put dates within easy reach in a region where sugar cane and honey historically were not.

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Part of World of Street Food — 3248 dishes from 118 countries. Something wrong here? Tell us in the comments below. Photo credits.