- A pasta of North African origin made of crushed and steamed semolina.
- A North African dish consisting of pasta steamed with a meat and vegetable stew.
[French, from Arabic kuskus, from kaskasa, to pulverize.]
couscous
Dictionary:
cous·cous (kūs'kūs')  |
n.
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North African; millet flour, fine semolina, or crushed wheat, steamed until fluffy and usually served with stew.
| Food Lover's Companion: couscous |
[KOOS-koos] A staple of North African cuisine, couscous is granular semolina. Cooked, it may be served with milk as porridge, with a dressing as a salad or sweetened and mixed with fruits for dessert. Packaged precooked couscous is available in Middle Eastern markets and large supermarkets. The name couscous also refers to the famous Maghreb dish in which semolina or cracked wheat is steamed in the perforated top part of a special pot called a couscoussière, while chunks of meat (usually lamb or chicken), various vegetables, chickpeas and raisins simmer in the bottom part. In lieu of a couscoussière, a colander set over a large pot will do. The cooked semolina is heaped onto a platter, with the meats and vegetables placed on top. All diners use chunks of bread to scoop the couscous from this central platter. Couscous varies from country to country-Moroccans include saffron, Algerians like to add tomatoes and Tunisians spice theirs up with the hot-pepper-based harissa.
| Mideast & N. Africa Encyclopedia: Couscous |
A staple food of North Africa.
Couscous is the husked and crushed, but unground, semolina of hard wheat (Triticum durum), although the preparation of the same name can be made with barley, millet, sorghum, or corn. Semolina is the hard part of the grain of hard-wheat, which resists the grinding of the millstone. The word "couscous" derives from the Arabic word kaskasa, to pound small, but the word is also thought to derive from the Arabic name for the perforated earthenware steamer pot used in steaming the couscous, called a keskes in Arabic (couscousière in French). Another theory is based on onomatopoeia - from the sound of the steam rising in the couscousière. In any case, the Arabic word derives from a non-Arabic, probably Berber, word. Couscous is also the general name for all prepared dishes made from hard-wheat
or other cereals. In fact, it would not be incorrect to call couscous a kind of pasta.
Couscous is a staple food in the Maghrib (North Africa). Hard-wheat couscous was probably invented by Arabs or Berbers in the twelfth century based on techniques possibly learned from Saharan Africans. This is suggested by Ibn Battuta's description of a millet couscous he ate in Mali in 1352. One of the first written references to couscous is in an anonymous thirteenth-century Hispano-Muslim cookery book, Kitab al-Tabikh fi al-Maghrib wa al-Andalus.
The Berbers call this food sekrou (or seksou), while it is known as maftul or mughrabiyya in the countries of the eastern Mediterranean and suksukaniyya in the Sudan. In Algeria it is called tha'am or kesksou. In Tunisia it is called keskesi. Very large couscous grains are called m'hammas, and very fine grains, usually used for sweet couscous dishes, are called mesfouf.
Couscous is processed from a fine and coarse grade of semolina. The fine grain affixes to the coarse grain by sprinkling water and salt by hand (although mechanization is used for mass production). The grains are rolled and rubbed with the palms and fingers until the desired size is formed. The couscous may be dried and stored, or it may be steamed over water or broth in a couscousière. Couscous is served in a pile on a large platter with meat, chicken, or fish and vegetables and spices. It is also served in bowls as a loose stew with similar ingredients included.
— CLIFFORD A. WRIGHT
| Food & Culture Encyclopedia: Couscous |
Couscous (from the Berber word k'seksu) is the staple product of North Africa and the national dish of the countries of Maghrib, that is, Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia. Couscous spread from this area, where it originated, to Libya, Mauritania, Egypt, and sub-Saharan countries. Couscous is also consumed in the Middle East, where it is called mughrabiyya.
Couscous is an icon food in northern Africa for dietary and cultural reasons. Similar to rice, pasta, or bread, couscous is an inexpensive and highly nutritive product made from wheat or other cereals (barley, sorghum, corn, millet, or minor grains) with the capacity for long-term preservation. With a basic cooking system, it is possible to prepare an everyday meal or a luxury feast, a main course or a dessert. A versatile dish, couscous can be mixed with vegetables, legumes, meat, or fish, or it can be eaten with butter or fresh fruit.
Couscous is an icon also because it permits the expression of national identities and ways of life, and it has religious and symbolic meanings. Women usually prepare the grain known as couscous during a family celebration, and the dish named couscous is eaten during a family feast, thereby associating both the product and the dish with solidarity. Couscous accompanies Friday and end of Ramadan celebrations and birth and wedding feasts. The association of couscous with these festivities also attaches it to the concepts of abundance, fertility, fidelity, and Barakah (God's blessing). For example, while preparing couscous, women have to make an invocation and converse about religious facts, prosperity, and positive feelings.
Preparation
The grain. Although the use of precooked couscous has spread widely, making couscous is traditionally a female activity that involves much work. On a big flat plate, the woman in charge puts a handful of freshly ground hard wheat, sprinkles on salted water and a bit of flour, and with her palms treats the grain with rolling movements until the couscous granules appear. Later she sifts the grain with sieves of different diameters to obtain granules of similar size. Finally, couscous is sun-dried and stored or cooked.
The dish. Couscous is cooked in a special pot (a couscous steamer), usually earthen, which has two components: a bottom-perforated pan, which contains the grain, and a globular pot that stands underneath it and contains water or a boiling stew whose steam cooks the granules.
Couscous is moistened with water and oil before cooking and then it is placed in the pan. Every ten or fifteen minutes, the couscous is taken out of the pan; oil or butter is added, and it is worked by hand to avoid the formation of curds. Couscous is ready when the granules are cooked, separated, soft, and moist.
The basic ingredients of the couscous stew are seasonal vegetables and legumes (usually chickpeas), fish or meat (chicken, lamb, beef, rabbit, hare, and even camel), and spices. There are regional preferences regarding couscous. Algerian couscous includes tomatoes and a great variety of legumes and vegetables, and Moroccan couscous uses saffron. Tunisian couscous includes fish and dried fruit recipes and always contains chickpeas and a hot salsa (harissa). Saharan couscous is served without legumes and without broth.
After the grain is cooked, a pile of couscous is placed in a big platter topped with the meat or fish and vegetables. The couscous broth is put in a side bowl and optionally mixed with hot sauce.
The History of Couscous
Origins. The origin of couscous is uncertain. Lucie Bolens affirms that Berbers were preparing couscous as early as 238 to 149 B.C.E. (Bolens, 1989, p. 61). Nevertheless, Charles Perry states that couscous originated between the end of the Zirid dynasty and the rise of the Almohadian dynasty between the eleventh and the thirteenth centuries (Perry, 1990, p. 177).
Iberian Peninsula. Bolens dates the introduction of couscous into the Iberian Peninsula to the period of the Berber dynasties in the thirteenth century (Bolens, 1989, p. 62). The popularity of couscous spread quickly among the Moors, and the two Arab cookbooks available from that time, the anonymous Kitâb al Tabij and Fadalat al Jiwan by Ibn Razîn al Tujibî, include couscous recipes. Sephardim incorporated couscous into their cuisine because of the Moorish influence and carried it to their asylum countries after their expulsion from Iberian lands (1492). It is still popularly consumed in Israel.
Couscous also was a staple for the Moriscos, who ate it during secular and religious celebrations. Consequently, the Inquisition prosecuted its consumption. The hostility toward Morisco culture and foodways led to the disappearance of alcuzcuz from Spain and to the development of a derivative, migas. In Portugal the gentry and nobility still consumed couscous during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries; however, the cozido à Madeirense (a couscous dish) has its origin in African influences. According to Francisco Abad, the couscous recipes included in the Spanish court cookbook by Martínez de Montiño (seventeenth century) are related to the author's Portuguese origin (Abad, 2000, pp. 23–24).
Italy. Cùscusu is a typical dish of western Sicily, especially of Trapani, where it is eaten with a fish stew or in a sweet recipe. There is no agreement about the date of the introduction of couscous into Sicily. Some writers claim that couscous was introduced during the Muslim period (827–1063), while others state that it was introduced after the settlement of Sephardim in the island, at the end of the fifteenth century.
Brazil. The introduction of couscous into Brazil in the sixteenth century, according to Luis da Cámara Cascudo, was a result of the culinary influences of both Portugal and African slaves cultures (Cascudo, 1983, pp. 207–211). There are two varieties. Southern couscous (Cuscuz paulista) is a steamed cake made from corn flour, vegetables, spices, chicken, or fish (prawns and sardines). The northern variety (cuscuz nordestino) is a steamed pudding made from tapioca flour and sugar and moistened with coconut milk. This is a popular Brazilian breakfast.
Couscous in the Western World
Couscous has developed worldwide popularity. Among the explanations for its success are the increasing importance of vegetarianism, the preference for healthy foods that are aesthetically attractive, the trendy fascination with the Mediterranean cuisine, and the culinary influence of Maghribian immigrants in the Western world.
Bibliography
Abad, Francisco. Cuscús: Recetas e Historias del Alzcuzcuz Magrebí-Andalusí [Couscous: Recipes and stories about the Maghribian and Andalusian couscous]. Zaragoza: Libros Certeza, 2000.
Bolens, Lucie. "L'étonnante apparition du couscous en Andalousie médiévale (XIIIe siècle): Essai d'interprétation historique" [The surprising apparition of couscous in Medieval Andalusie, thirteenth century: An attempt of historical interpretation]. In Mélanges en l'Honneur du Professeur Anne-Marie Piuz, 61–70. Genève: Université de Genève, 1989.
Cascudo, Luís da Cámara. História da Alimentação no Brasil [History of food in Brazil]. 2 vols. São Paulo: Editora da Universidade de São Paulo, 1983.
Perry, Charles. "Couscous and Its Cousins." In Staple Foods: Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery 1989, pp. 176–178. London: Prospect Books, 1990.
—Teresa de Castro
| Wikipedia: Couscous |
For the possum species, see Cuscus.
For the ancient Chilean village, see Cuz Cuz.
| Serving Size 1 cup (173 g) | |||
| Servings Per Container Information is per dry couscous as determined by Nutrient Data Laboratory, ARS, USDA.[1] | |||
| Amount Per Serving | |||
| Calories 650 | Calories from Fat 9 | ||
| % Daily Value* | |||
| Total Fat 1 g | 2% | ||
| Saturated Fat 0 g | 0% | ||
| Trans Fat 0 g | |||
| Cholesterol 0 mg | 0% | ||
| Sodium 17 mg | 1% | ||
| Potassium 287 mg | 8% | ||
| Total Carbohydrate 134 g | 45% | ||
| Dietary Fiber 9 g | 4% | ||
| Sugars 0 g | |||
| Protein 22 g | |||
| Vitamin A | 0% | Vitamin C | 0% |
| Calcium | 42% | Iron | 2% |
| *Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000-calorie diet. Your Daily Values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs. | |||
Couscous or kuskus as it is known in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt (pronounced /ˈkʊskʊs/ or /ˈkuːskuːs/ in the United Kingdom and only the latter in the United States; Arabic: كسكس, Berber Seksu, called maftoul in Lebanon and Palestine and Hebrew: קוסקוס in Hebrew) is a dish consisting of spherical granules made by rolling and shaping moistened semolina wheat (sweet corn in Brazil) and then coating them with finely ground wheat flour. The finished granules are about one millimetre in diameter before cooking. The Levantine variant, popular also in Israel, is slightly more than twice the diameter and made of hard wheat instead of semolina.[2] Traditional couscous requires considerable preparation time and is usually steamed. In many places, a more-processed, quick-cook couscous is available and is particularly valued for its short preparation time.
The dish is a primary staple throughout the Maghreb;[3] in much of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya it is also known as ṭa`aam طعام, "food".[citation needed] It is also popular in the West African Sahel, in France, Spain, Madeira, in western Sicily's Province of Trapani, as well as in Greece, Cyprus and parts of the Middle East. It is particularly popular among Jews of North African descent such as the Berber Jews,[4] and is eaten in many other parts of the world as well.
Couscous is traditionally served under a meat or vegetable stew. It can also be eaten alone, flavored, or plain, warm or cold (e.g., mixed with tabouli), or as a side dish.
Contents |
Manufacturing
The couscous granules are made from semolina (coarsely ground durum wheat) or, in some regions, from coarsely ground barley or pearl millet. In Brazil, the traditional couscous is made from pre-cooked sweet-corn flakes.[5]
Couscous from semolina (wheat)
The semolina is sprinkled with water and rolled with the hands to form small pellets, sprinkled with dry flour to keep them separate, and then sieved. The pellets which are too small to be finished granules of couscous fall through the sieve to be again sprinkled with dry semolina and rolled into pellets. This process continues until all the semolina has been formed into tiny granules of couscous. Sometimes salt is added to the semolina and water.
This process is very labour-intensive. In the traditional method of preparing couscous, groups of women would come together and make large batches over several days.[6] These would then be dried in the sun and used for several months. Couscous was traditionally made from the hard part of the durum, the part of the grain that resisted the grinding of the relatively primitive millstone. In modern times, couscous production is largely mechanized, and the product sold in markets around the world.
Couscous from pearl millet
In the Sahel, pearl millet is pounded or milled to the size and consistency necessary for the couscous.[clarification needed][citation needed]
Background
History
One of the first written references is from an anonymous 13th-century Hispano-Muslim cookery book, Kitāb al-tabǐkh fǐ al-Maghrib wa'l-Andalus (Arabic) "The book of cooking in the Maghreb and Al-Andalus", with a recipe for couscous that was 'known all over the world'. Couscous was known to the Nasrid royalty in Granada as well. And in the 13th century a Syrian historian from Aleppo includes four references for couscous. These early mentions show that couscous spread rapidly, but generally that couscous was common from Tripolitania to the west, while from Cyrenaica to the east the main cuisine was Egyptian, with couscous as an occasional dish. Today, in Egypt and the Middle East, couscous is known, but in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Western Libya couscous is a staple. Couscous was taken from Syria to Turkey in 16th century and is eaten in most of southern provinces.
Couscous is a staple of Sicilian cuisine, perhaps as ancient as the dominant Berber culture of Sicily in the early Middle Ages. In Rome Bartolomeo Scappi's culinary guide of 1570 describes a Moorish dish, succussu; in Tuscany it is thought of as Jewish food because it was introduced by the Sephardic Jews who arrived in Livorno in the 16th century; from his acquaintances among Tuscan Jews, Pellegrino Artusi included "Jewish" couscous in his La Scienza in cucina (Milan, 1897).[7]
One of the earliest references to couscous in Northern Europe is in Brittany, in a letter dated 12 January 1699. But it made an earlier appearance in Provence, where the traveler Jean Jacques Bouchard wrote of eating it in Toulon in 1630.
Cooking
Properly cooked couscous should be light and fluffy, not gummy or gritty; steam the couscous two to three times to achieve this consistency.[citation needed] Traditionally, North Africans use a food steamer (called a kiskas in Arabic or a couscoussière in French). The base is a tall metal pot shaped rather like an oil jar in which the meat and vegetables are cooked as a stew. On top of the base, a steamer sits where the couscous is cooked, absorbing the flavours from the stew. The lid to the steamer has holes around its edge so steam can escape. It is also possible to use a pot with a steamer insert. If the holes are too big the steamer can be lined with damp cheesecloth. There is little archaeological evidence of early diets including couscous, possibly because the original couscoussière was probably made from organic materials which could not survive extended exposure to the elements.
Instant couscous
The couscous that is sold in most Western supermarkets have been pre-steamed and dried, the package directions usually instruct to add a small amount of boiling water or stock to the couscous and to cover tightly for 5 minutes. The couscous swells and within a few minutes it is ready to fluff with a fork and serve. Pre-steamed couscous takes less time to prepare than regular couscous, most dried pasta, or dried grains (such as rice).
Recipes and combinations
In Libya, Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, couscous is generally served with vegetables (carrots, Potatoes, turnips, et al.) cooked in a spicy or mild broth or stew, and some meat (generally, chicken, lamb or mutton); in Algeria, couscous can also be topped with fish in a sweet sauce with raisins and caramelized onions.
In Libya, it is mostly served with meat, specifically beef, lamb, or camel. In Tripoli and the western parts of Libya, fish can be added to couscous, 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 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 and Spain[citation needed], where it is now considered a traditional dish in both countries. Indeed many polls have indicated that it is often a favorite dish.[citation needed] 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 and Spain, the word "couscous" (cuscús in Spanish) 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 and Spanish grocery stores and supermarkets. In France it is generally served with harissa sauce.
In North America, Australia, and the United Kingdom, couscous is available most commonly as either plain or pre-flavoured, 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 Mexico, there is a dish called the couscous taco (taco de cuscús), which consists of the addition of couscous to a traditional taco, similar in fashion to a Moroccan pita.
Similar products
- The name couscous is also used for prepared dishes made from other grains, such as barley, pearl millet, sorghum, rice or maize.
- Attiéké, a variety of couscous that is a staple food in Côte d'Ivoire and is also known to surrounding areas of West Africa, made from grated cassava.
- Berkoukesh are pasta bullets made by the same process, but are larger than the grains of couscous.
- Fregula, a pasta from Sardinia, consists of pellets that are larger than couscous and toasted.
- Kouskousaki (Κουσκουσάκι in Greek or Kuskus in Turkish, a pasta from Greece and Turkey, that is boiled and served with cheese and walnuts.
- In Hungarian cuisine, the tarhonya is a similar type of pasta, often labeled as couscous on the packaging.
- In Brazilian cuisine, the "cuscuz marroquino" is a version, usually eaten cold, of the "couscous".
Israeli couscous
For more details on this topic, see Ptitim.
"Israeli couscous" (in Hebrew פתיתים 'flakes' ), also called "ptitim", is a pasta product similar to the Italian orzo. In North America, it is considered as a larger version of couscous and is used in slightly different ways.[8] In Western cooking, it is often used as a bed for salmon or chicken dishes, or put into salads. One of its purposes was to provide a rice substitute for Mizrahi Jews, for whom rice was the staple grain. Unlike North African couscous, it is not semolina at all, but rather baked wheat. It is a common side dish in Israel, especially popular with children.
See also
References and notes
- ^ Couscous, dry - NDB No: 20028 United States Department of Agriculture National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference. Retrieved 18 December 18 2007.
- ^ http://www.shop.com/Israeli_Couscous-33735417-44148668-p!.shtml?sourceid=298
- ^ SHORT VERSION OF - VERSION MODIFICADA DE: Teresa de Castro, «Couscous», Encyclopaedia of Food. New York, USA. Scribner and Sons. 2003, vol. 1, pp. 465-466. (Cuscús)
- ^ Roden, C (1996). The Book of Jewish Food. Alfred A Knopf. ISBN 0-394-53258-9. http://www.myjewishlearning.com/culture/food/Overview_Sephardic_Cuisine/Maghreb/Food_Couscous_Roden.htm.
- ^ Receitas
- ^ Craig S. Smith (20 September 2006). "High in Algeria’s Mountains, a Kingdom of Couscous". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/20/dining/20couscous.html. Retrieved 12 March 2008.
- ^ John Dickie, Delizia! The Epic History of the Italians and Their Food (New York, 2008) pp. 15, 115, 264f.
- ^ http://www.canadianliving.com/food/cooking_school/discover_couscous.php Canadian Living Magazine: Discovering Couscous
External links
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Wikibooks Cookbook has a recipe/module on |
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Couscous |
- BBC Food Glossary: Couscous
- Mediterranean and World Cuisine: Couscous: History of Couscous by Clifford A. Wright
- Saudi Aramco World article on Couscous: Couscous - The Measure of the Maghrib. Written by Greg Noakes and Laidia Chouat Noakes 1998.
- Magharebia.com: News and Views of the Maghreb article on Couscous: Couscous: Long-Term Maghreb Staple Still Going Strong
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| Translations: Couscous |
Français (French)
n. - couscous
Deutsch (German)
n. - Kuskus (nordafrikanisches Gericht)
Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - μπλιγούρι (κουσκούς)
Português (Portuguese)
n. - cuscuz (m) (Culin.)
Svenska (Swedish)
n. - couscous
中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
北非的蒸肉丸子
中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 北非的蒸肉丸子
العربيه (Arabic)
(الاسم) أكله مغربيه
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 | Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Food and Nutrition. A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition. Copyright © 1995, 2003, 2005 by A. E. Bender and D. A. Bender. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Food Lover's Companion. Food Lover's Companion. Copyright © 2001 by Barron's Educational Series, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Mideast & N. Africa Encyclopedia. Encyclopedia of the Modern Middle East and North Africa. Copyright © 2004 by The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more |
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