The Culinary Role Of Couscous In Morocco

2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29

When we think of couscous, we usually associate it with those cereals that our mothers have prepared for us and that we continue to prepare for our children. And we usually add cheese and sugar to it. So far so good, but in fact the real couscous is a child of the Moroccans, who even have a special dish called couscous in which they cook it. And authentic Moroccan couscous has nothing to do with the way we eat it.

If we talk about cooking in Morocco, there is certainly no more traditional dish than couscous. Its name is imitative and is associated with the sound emitted by semolina beans during cooking. And it is best heard when it is prepared in the so-called keskes, or more simply - couscous.

It consists of two parts, the couscous is arranged in the upper dish so that it can be steamed, and the vegetables and meat are placed in the lower one, which in turn give the characteristic aroma of the real couscous prepared in Morocco. And you will hardly see a Moroccan putting cheese and sugar in his couscous. For them, this traditional dish is basic and can be consumed both at lunch and in the evening. And necessarily prepared with a lot of love.

You are not supposed to have a couscous, but if you want to cook couscous the way it is made in Morocco, you can just use a deep saucepan and a metal colander to put on it. Here are the products you need and how to make a traditional Moroccan dish:

Necessary products: 850 g lamb leg, 250 g chickpeas, 1 onion, 1 carrot, 1 potato, 2 tomatoes, 1 small eggplant, 1 zucchini, 550 g couscous, 8 tablespoons olive oil, 3 cloves garlic, 1/2 small cabbage, 100 g butter, a few sprigs of fresh parsley, salt, pepper, cinnamon, ginger and saffron to taste.

Method of preparation: The chickpeas are soaked for 7 hours in water and allowed to drain. The meat is cut and fried in butter and in 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Wash the couscous and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt. After the meat has been fried for about 5 minutes, add all the spices and garlic to it, add about 2 liters of water and wait for the dish to boil.

Then add the remaining chopped vegetables and chickpeas. After about 30 minutes, place the couscous in a colander and stew for 15 minutes. Once ready, pour into a bowl, add 1 tsp water, 1 tbsp olive oil and leave for 15 minutes.

Then put it back on the pot with the other spices until it softens completely. Check that the other products are well cooked, then pour the couscous into the plates in which it will be served, garnish with the other products and part of the sauce in which they were cooked.

We offer you several more appetizing recipes with couscous: Stuffed peppers with couscous, Couscous with roasted carrots, Lamb roll with couscous, Mediterranean couscous salad, Stuffed peppers with couscous and mushrooms.