Bsisa

Bsisa (Arabic: بسيسة, Berber aḍemmin, Hebrew: בסיס), also known as bsissa, is a fine powder made from roasted barley and legumes, typical in North African cuisine, prepared and served either as a paste or drink. It dates back to Pharos times.[1][2][3][4][5] Its history goes back a long way, and travellers 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.

Ingredients

Bsisa is a variety of mixtures of roasted cereals ground with various spices and sugar. The herbs and spices that are added to the mixture can vary,[6] and the mixtures can also be used as a liquid when added to milk or water, creating a strongly floured drink called rowina.

Regional varieties

In Palestinian cuisine, bsisa is made with carob juice, olive oil, wheat flour, and nuts.[7][8]

Customs

It is eaten by Tunisian and Libyan Muslims[9] and Jews on various occasions.

Jews consume it especially on the first day of the Hebrew month of Nisan as this is the day the Mishkan (tabernacle) was erected (in this case, the food is named bsiset el-marquma or simply bsisa).[10] The food is powder that consists of wheat and barley, which represents the mortar used to build the Mishkan. Additionally, the mother of the household puts her gold ring into the bsisa, recalling the gold that was also used in the building of the Mishkan. Before eating the bsisa, the father of the household blesses in Arabic while he mixes the bsisa with oil using the key to his house, recalling the oil used in the Mishkan. [11] 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!

Notes

  1. ^ Cp. Vermondo Brugnatelli, "Elementi per uno studio dell'alimentazione nelle regioni berbere", in: D. Silvestri, A. Marra, I. Pinto (a c. di), Saperi e sapori mediterranei. La cultura dell'alimentazione e i suoi riflessi linguistici (Napoli, 13-16 ottobre 1999), Napoli, 2002, vol. III, pp. 1067–1089.
  2. ^ Rula Attia, "Tunisian Bsisa", "Tunisian Bsisa". Archived from the original on 2014-02-25. Retrieved 2014-02-06.]
  3. ^ Boukid, Fatma (19 April 2021). Cereal-Based Foodstuffs: The Backbone of Mediterranean Cuisine. Springer Nature. p. 118. ISBN 978-3-030-69228-5. Retrieved 17 March 2026.
  4. ^ "Bsissa: North Africa's ancient convenience food". BBC. 31 January 2022. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  5. ^ ""البسيسة" غذاء الرعاة الأفارقة وحلوى بداية النهار" ["Bsisa" is the food of African shepherds and the dessert of the beginning of the day.]. The New Arab (in Arabic). 7 May 2015. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
  6. ^ "Food Heroes detail | World Food Day | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations". WorldFoodDay. Food and Agriculture Organization. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
  7. ^ ""البسيسة" زوادة الحج الفلسطينية" ["Basisa" is a Palestinian Hajj provision]. The New Arab (in Arabic). Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  8. ^ "الأكلات الشعبية" [National foods]. WAFA (in Arabic). Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  9. ^ "La "bsissa" : Un mets rassasiant aux multiples vertus". 19 February 2019.
  10. ^ Cp. Mordekhai Cohen, Gli ebrei in Libia. Usi e costumi, translated and annotated by Martino Mario Moreno, Firenze, Giuntina, 1994, p. 81-82. ISBN 978-88-85943-95-7
  11. ^ "Bsisa". Archived from the original on 2011-08-06. Retrieved 2010-11-26.

See also

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