- Zainab Hassen: When people think about Arab or Middle Eastern cuisine,
they think about Lebanese, Syrian food, that region.
And I think that impacted me as a child
because I felt like I wasn't good enough.
Nobody knew or cared about my culture
or who we are as Libyans and North Africans.
My connection to the North African cuisine
really helped me sort of break through that.
It played an important role in me learning to love who I am
and I'm really grateful for it.
[traditional Bedouin music]
[tapping spoon]
Mbakbaka is, like, an authentic Libyan dish.
It's a hearty dish.
It's delicious. It's spicy.
It's super easy to make.
We all grew up eating it.
It's, you know, sun is coming down.
You're out in the park, and you're hungry.
So, what do you do?
You whip up Mbakbaka.
[chopping]
[blender whirring]
One of the things that I love
about being in the Midwest and in Wisconsin
is how kind people are and how hospitable they are
and how welcoming they are.
And that resonates with me because
Libyans and Libyan culture is exactly that.
It's just a completely different experience
eating with your hands
than it is sitting there with, you know, a spoon and a fork.
It really makes the food taste better.
There's a lot of respect for the environment,
for the food.
Especially, the animal, it is used completely.
Nothing goes to waste.
I grew up with my mom buying all the individual spices,
and then, mixing them together herself.
So, for me to be able to
bring these flavors and these spices to the market
to be able to share my cuisine, my culture,
to share who I am authentically
with the community and with other people,
I mean, it's just-- This is the dream.
Truly, it really is.
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