Spices

Libyan food finds its unique flavor in the combination of 3 or 4 main seasonings/spices: 'Bzaar', 'Hararat', salt and cayenne pepper.

Upper Left hand: Hararat. Upper Right hand: Cayenne Pepper. Lower Left: Bzaar. Lower Right: Salt

They are essentials. You may be able to operate without Harrarat but without Bzaar you cannot. The drawback to Libyan food is, Bzaar is not something you can find in your local grocers spice aisle. It is more often than not a roasted, milled, and combined at home-- and by home I mean in Libya. 

Whats in Bzaar:

A mixture of ginger, cinnamon, black pepper, nutmeg, turmeric, cloves, coriander, and caraway

Whats in Harrarat:   

A mixture of ginger, cloves, cinnamon, cardamon, all-spice, nutmeg, and white pepper

The exact mixture and measurements of each spice in each mixture is beyond me and I think a bit more advanced than what this blog can offer. I dont think there is any Libyan lady who has actually measured how much of each goes into Bzaar.