Wisconsin Life

– 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.