Bsisa
Encyclopedia
Bsisa , , Berber
aḍemmin is a typical North Africa
n food, based on flour of roasted barley.
Bsisa, Howira, and Zumita are all varieties of mixtures of roasted cereals ground with fenugreek and aniseed and cumin and sugar. This kind of food is known in Tunis and Algeria as well as throughout Libya. Its history goes back a long way, and travelers and nomads used to take bsisa with them on their journeys since it was both full of nutritional value and easy to carry in its ground powder form.
The herbs and spices that are added to the cereals can vary, and the mixtures can also be used as a liquid when added to milk or water, creating a strongly-floured drink called Rowina. The most common use for bsisa and howira is to mix them with olive oil into a paste. This is then typically eaten with dates or figs for a quick meal which is energy-rich and healthy.
It is eaten by Libya
n Jews
in various circumstances, and especially the first day of the Hebrew month, Nisan
as this is the day the Mishkan
(Tabernacle
) was erected (in this case, the food is named bsiset el-marquma). The food is powder that consists of wheat and barley, which represents the cement that was used in the Mishkan. Additionally, the Mother puts her gold ring into the Bsisa which represents the gold that was also used in the building of the Mishkan. Before eating the father blesses in Arabic while he mixes the Bsisa with oil, which resembles the oil used in the Mishkan. The key to his house is used to mix the Bsisa with the oil and this symbolizes the "opening" of the 'new year' The father and family recite in turn:
Ya fetach,
Bla Neftach,
Arzekna warzek menna
Ya atai,
Bla mena!
Berber languages
The Berber languages are a family of languages indigenous to North Africa, spoken from Siwa Oasis in Egypt to Morocco , and south to the countries of the Sahara Desert...
aḍemmin is a typical North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
n food, based on flour of roasted barley.
Bsisa, Howira, and Zumita are all varieties of mixtures of roasted cereals ground with fenugreek and aniseed and cumin and sugar. This kind of food is known in Tunis and Algeria as well as throughout Libya. Its history goes back a long way, and travelers and nomads used to take bsisa with them on their journeys since it was both full of nutritional value and easy to carry in its ground powder form.
The herbs and spices that are added to the cereals can vary, and the mixtures can also be used as a liquid when added to milk or water, creating a strongly-floured drink called Rowina. The most common use for bsisa and howira is to mix them with olive oil into a paste. This is then typically eaten with dates or figs for a quick meal which is energy-rich and healthy.
It is eaten by Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
n Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
in various circumstances, and especially the first day of the Hebrew month, Nisan
Nisan
Nisan is the first month of the ecclesiastical year and the seventh month of the civil year, on the Hebrew calendar. The name of the month is Babylonian; in the Torah it is called the month of the Aviv, referring to the month in which barley was ripe. It is a spring month of 30 days...
as this is the day the Mishkan
Mishkan
Mishkan is the Hebrew word for the dwelling place of God, or the Tabernacle. It may refer to:*The Israelite Tabernacle...
(Tabernacle
Tabernacle
The Tabernacle , according to the Hebrew Torah/Old Testament, was the portable dwelling place for the divine presence from the time of the Exodus from Egypt through the conquering of the land of Canaan. Built to specifications revealed by God to Moses at Mount Sinai, it accompanied the Israelites...
) was erected (in this case, the food is named bsiset el-marquma). The food is powder that consists of wheat and barley, which represents the cement that was used in the Mishkan. Additionally, the Mother puts her gold ring into the Bsisa which represents the gold that was also used in the building of the Mishkan. Before eating the father blesses in Arabic while he mixes the Bsisa with oil, which resembles the oil used in the Mishkan. The key to his house is used to mix the Bsisa with the oil and this symbolizes the "opening" of the 'new year' The father and family recite in turn:
Ya fetach,
Bla Neftach,
Arzekna warzek menna
Ya atai,
Bla mena!