Couscous

The word kuskus (couscous in French and English) is used to both describe a variety of durum wheat semolina obtained after various phases of processing, and also the many recipes   – with sweet or savory seasoning, with meat, fish or vegetables – which are based on it. With the spread of ethnic cuisines, people in Europe have become familiar with this product. It is frequently offered on restaurant menus and is readily available on the market, often in canned semi-processed form. In the past, however, couscous was only known and cooked in a few coastal areas of Italy and Spain. Here they were more accustomed to foreign practices than elsewhere, or were more likely to have adopted them due to historical circumstances. They assimilated them into their own customs, and reinterpreted them in local fashion. With the continuous flow of commercial and cultural influences from the Maghreb and Near East, couscous has for a long time been a popular dish in Sardinia (where it is generally called cascà), on the Livorno coast, in the north west corner of Sicily (cùscusu) and in the old kingdom of Al Andalus, in Spain. But the exact chronological and geographical origins of this food, associated with the Arab world, are uncertain. One of the first references to a dish based on a starchy food similar to couscous appears in an anonymous Hispano-Muslim text dating back to the 13th century, where a recipe is described as well-known throughout the world. In addition to other recipes of related origin, a similar food is cited as noble in a poem by the qadi (magistrate) of Granada, Abu ’Abd Allaah bin Al-Azrak, confirming its spread among the aristocratic classes. But attributing its invention to the Arab communities in Spain does not seem a persuasive argument since, as is frequently the case, the written documents are not a proof of actual origin. The documents merely indicate that in the 13th century the product had traveled beyond its national boundaries. As far as etymology is concerned, the word is probably linked to the Berber k’seksu (hence Arabic kaskasa, “to reduce to powder, to pound”), and would suggest a Maghreb origin to preparation of the food. This origin seems to be confirmed by the fact that in Eastern Arab regions a type of couscous is called maghribbiyya (product of the Maghreb). Apart from linguistic associations, there is also archeological evidence: in the Medieval layer of the Algerian city of Chellala, vessels of uncertain date have been found which strongly resemble present day couscous pots. In the past couscous was, and is still today, one of the basic Maghreb foods both for daily family consumption and for religious use. For example, it was distributed as an offering to the poor for sadaqa (charity) and considered a part of baraka (divine benediction): while preparing the food women had to recite incantations to drive away evil omens. When preparing couscous it is necessary to follow the traditions and use suitable utensils. The first thing needed is a large terracotta container where the semolina is washed by hand until it forms grains. The second is the traditional couscous pot, composed of two stacked containers: the lower one holds water with seasoning or stock to boil with meat and vegetables; the upper one, with a perforated bottom, holds the semolina which is slowly cooked in the steam.

Couscous with vegetables and meat 

For 6-8 people

• 1 kg small grain couscous 
• 1 kg stewing veal 
• 150 g carrots, 150 g tomatoes, 
• 150 g leeks, 
• 150 g turnips, 
• 100 g onions 
• 2 small cups argan oil 
• 1 teaspoon salt,
•  1 teaspoon pepper, 
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ginger

Preparation and cooking time: for the couscous, 1 1⁄4 hours, plus standing time;

 for the seasoning, 1 1⁄4 hours

Use the meat to prepare the stock for steaming the couscous. Put the semolina to cook in the top part of the couscous pot. The top part of the pot has a perforated base and the bottom part holds the seasoning. Put a large wide dish on the table. Tip the couscous (already cooked for a while) onto it and mix by hand as though kneading. Do this twice more and the third time add a small cup of argan oil and a pinch of salt. Put the pieces of meat in the bottom of the couscous pot. Add finely sliced onions, the rest of the salt, the pepper and the ginger. Pour in part of the stock and add the carrots, tomatoes, turnips and leeks, which were earlier cleaned and chopped. When cooking has finished add the other small cup of argan oil. When everything is cooked (the couscous cooks in the steam of the stock) put the couscous in a large serving platter with seasoning in the center. Soak with the remaining stock and serve.

This dish is cooked on Friday, the Muslim day of collective prayer (juma’a): it is eaten for lunch after returning from the mosque.

source: 33 Moroccan recipes based on argan oil