Couscous’s Role in the Kitchen

Couscous is a traditional staple throughout the Maghreb, where it is thought to have originated. It is also popular in the West African Sahel, in France, Spain, the Canary Islands, Portugal, Madeira, Italy (particularly in western Sicily’s Province of Trapani), as well as in Turkey, Greece, Malta, Cyprus and parts of the Middle East. It is particularly popular among Jews of North African descent such as the Algerian Jews, Tunisian Jews and Moroccan Jews, and is eaten in many other parts of the world as well.

In Libya, Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, couscous is generally served with vegetables (carrots, potatoes, turnips) cooked in a spicy or mild broth or stew, and some meat (generally, chicken, lamb or mutton);

In Libya, it is mostly served with meat, specifically beef, lamb, or camel. In Tripoli and the western parts of Libya, but not during official ceremonies or weddings. Another way to eat couscous is as a dessert; it is prepared with dates, sesame, and pure honey, and locally referred to as “maghrood”.

In Tunisia it is made mostly spicy with harissa sauce,it is served with almost everything, including Lamb, Beef, Camel, and poultry. Fish couscous is Tunisian specialty; it can be also made with octopus in hot red spicy sauce. Couscous in Tunisia is served in every occasion; it is also made as dessert mostly in Ramadan Masfouf

In Morocco and Algeria it is also served, sometimes at the end of a meal or just by itself, as a delicacy called “seffa”. The couscous is usually steamed several times until it is very fluffy and pale in color. It is then sprinkled with almonds, cinnamon and sugar. Traditionally, this dessert will be served with milk perfumed with orange flower water, or it can be served plain with buttermilk in a bowl as a cold light soup for supper.

In Egypt, couscous is eaten more as a dessert. It is prepared with butter, sugar, coconut, raisins, nuts and topped with milk or cream.

Couscous is also very popular in France, where it is now considered a traditional dish, and has also become popular in Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Greece. Indeed, many polls have indicated that it is often a favorite dish. Although introduced in France by the pieds noirs (people of European descent who used to live in Algeria), many couscous restaurants are now owned by people originating from Algeria.

In France, Spain, Italy, and Portugal, the word “couscous” (cuscus in Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian) usually refers to couscous together with the stew. Packaged sets containing a box of quick-preparation couscous and a can of vegetables and, generally, meat are sold in French, Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese grocery stores and supermarkets. In France, it is generally served with harissa sauce, and in Italy, it can be served with marinara sauce.

In North America, Australia, and the United Kingdom, couscous is available most commonly as either plain or pre-flavored, quick preparation boxes. In the United States, it is widely available, but largely confined to the ethnic or health-food section of larger grocery stores.

There are recipes from Brazil and other Latin American countries that use boiled couscous molded into a timbale with other ingredients. In northeastern Brazil, cuzcuz, a steamed cake of couscous and corn flour (a mixture called fubá), is a popular meal, served in many forms: With sugar and milk, with varied meats, with cheese and eggs, etc. In Mexico, there are two dishes called the couscous taco (taco de cuscús) and couscous burrito (burrito de cuscús), which consists of the addition of couscous to a traditional taco or burrito respectively, similar in fashion to a Moroccan pita.