More than 15 Libyan chefs and several of their assistants came together on Friday to prepare the largest plate of couscous in the hope of entering the Guinness Book of Records.
The dish has a diameter of 4.5 meters, weighs 1,200 kilograms and contains 375 kilograms of dried meat, in addition to large quantities of butter, chickpeas, onions, spices, almonds, raisins and coconut.
This event, in Ghadames, southern Libya, was launched in the hope of making Libyan couscous part of the World Intangible Heritage List of the United Nations Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (UNESCO).
The took place after a wave of popular anger erupted in Libya over UNESCO’s inclusion of couscous from Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria and Mauritania on the World Intangible Heritage List in January, while Libyan couscous was excluded.
According to Africa Gate News, the dish cost around 95,000 Libyan dinars, and it was funded by a local food and beverage company.
Ali Masoud Al-Fateeni, the event organizer, pointed out that the dish, the largest of its kind, can serve 5,000 people. It was distributed to attendees.
The couscoussier, which was made with galvanized iron and then wrapped and decorated with inscriptions reflecting the Libyan identity, was designed by the engineer Jalal Al-Rumaili.
