Libyan vs British food & cuisine

Bread is at the center of the table. Flatbreads, skillet breads and oven bakes follow nearly every meal. Pasta has become a major staple, too. It follows Italian influence but tastes distinctly Libyan. Pasta is usually made of semolina and paired with bold, spiced tomato sauces. Smaller shapes often go into soups.

Rice is enjoyed more here than in the rest of the western Maghreb. Close ties with Egypt helped shape that habit. It cooks in rich sauces or steams over meat and vegetables, and sometimes gets mixed with spices, nuts and dried fruits.

Pies are everywhere. Pub menus still feature steak and kidney, rich beef and gravy in pastry. The Cornish pasty was once a miner’s packed lunch, filled with beef, potato, swede, and onion. Sweet pies like apple with custard or sticky treacle tart are classics. Pork pies are eaten cold with jellied stock. But Shepherd’s pie (lamb), cottage pie (beef),  and fish pie, though called ‘pies’, still swap pastry for mashed potato topping.

Potato dishes in Libya often mean m’battan — thin-sliced potatoes stuffed with spiced minced lamb or beef, simmered in tomato sauce. It takes effort to make, but it becomes a comforting Ramadan meal.

Libyans also prepare stuffed vine leaves (lebrak) and stuffed vegetables (mahshi), using rice, herbs and minced meat, cooked in fragrant broth. These dishes taste even better a day later.

Fruits and dried fruits matter too. Dates stand out — used in desserts, stews, preserves and even drizzled on porridge or added to tea. Other common fruits include figs, apricots and oranges.

The British love preparing their root veggies with a two-stage method: parboiling followed by high-heat roasting.  Honey glazing is another practice; it involves adding honey only in the final 8-10 minutes of cooking to achieve caramelization without burning. Later, it was often combined with thyme or sage.

Green peas, or mushy peas, are a British classic, both nostalgic and practical,  loved for their comfort-food appeal and mild sweetness.

Beef is also eaten, but only when the animal becomes older and of less economic use. Camel meat still supports nomadic communities and continues to be part of local diets. Camel meat stands as a lean, nutritious alternative; its protein content reaches around 18.3 % while fat stays low.

Drying meat is a long-standing preservation method. In Libya it’s known as qarqush or qiddeed. Strips of meat dry in the sun for several days and demand careful handling, so many people make it at home. During Eid Adha, rooftops fill with hanging meat destined for traditional dishes like homemade pasta with qiddeed.

The Sunday roast traditions are Britain’s weekly meat celebration. Most families choose between lamb with mint sauce, roast beef with Yorkshire pudding and gravy, or pork with crackling and apple sauce.

For weekday comfort, bangers and mash is quintessentially British. Brits eat more sausages per capita than Germans, despite Germany’s reputation for sausage-making.

Another British institution, served as a weekend treat, is the full English breakfast, featuring bacon, eggs, sausages, black pudding, baked beans, grilled tomatoes, and mushrooms.

Coastal regions still enjoy seafood from time to time. For example, locals dry octopus or squid in the sun for several days, then boil and simmer them in a herby tomato stew. Often they serve this with couscous. Seafood lunches or dinners often feature tomato, garlic, cumin, salad, and a spicy hararat seasoning mix.

Cod is the fish of choice in the famous fish and chips dish, and haddock is the second most popular white fish and the most popular fish for smoking, commonly dyed bright yellow.

Dairy products are a primary food for Bedouins, whose frequent meal may be a bowl of yogurt and rice topped with ghee. Camel milk, a traditional staple for many desert-dwelling peoples across North Africa, is also consumed. Its flavor is creamy and slightly salty, but not heavy.

Back on the British preferences: red Leicester claims second place with 20% popularity, followed by mozzarella at 18%, then halloumi and brie tied at 15% each. This ranking shows how traditional British cheeses hold their ground against international favourites.

Scotch egg is a classic pub snack: a hard-boiled egg wrapped in seasoned sausage meat, coated in breadcrumbs, and deep-fried. Despite the name, it has nothing to do with Scotland. It’s so quintessentially British that it’s become a symbol of traditional pub food.

British pubs have a unique tradition of serving pickled eggs as bar snacks, often sitting in large jars behind the bar for months. These vinegary eggs are salty, and they do increase beer sales – a brilliant bit of British business psychology disguised as food.

Libyan desserts rely on dates, honey, almonds, pine nuts and semolina. Warm cinnamon and cardamom, along with rosewater, give them their signature aroma. They’re usually very sweet, but served in small portions with mint tea or strong coffee to keep the balance.

Fruit-based desserts are very popular, especially crumbles and pies like treacle tart, Bakewell tart, and banoffee pie. Eton mess – a delightful chaos of strawberries, meringue, and cream – is another favorite.

What Brits really love is the combination of rich, warming flavors with creamy accompaniments. Almost everything comes with custard, cream, or both. There’s also a nostalgic element – many of these desserts evoke childhood memories and family traditions.

Nuts aren’t used extensively in traditional British cuisine compared to many other cuisines.