Couscous

Couscous (kuskus in Darija, seksou in Amazigh) refers at once to a hand-rolled durum-wheat semolina, the meat-and-vegetable stew that accompanies it, and the collective ritual that surrounds it. In Morocco, it is traditionally served on Friday after the Jumu'ah prayer, and at the great moments of social life: birth, wedding, mourning, religious feast.

i. Preparing the semolina

Couscous semolina (smida) is traditionally rolled by hand: the cook sprinkles a fine drizzle of salted water over durum-wheat flour, then rolls the mass into small regular grains with a circular hand motion. The grain is then sifted through the ghorbal, then steamed three times in the keskass (couscoussier) above the broth. Each steaming is followed by a hand-loosening and a re-hydration with oil.

ii. Moroccan varieties

Moroccan couscous comes in regional variants: the seven-vegetable couscous, a classic across the country; Marrakech couscous with raisins and candied onions (tfaya); coastal Beldi couscous with free-range chicken and caramelised onions; Mediouna couscous with broad beans and green broth; the sweet seffa couscous with butter, cinnamon and dried fruit, eaten with sugar. Barley couscous (azenboû) is traditional in the Atlas.

iii. Ritual

Couscous is traditionally eaten from a common dish, with the right hand, forming little balls that one raises to the mouth. It is served by the oldest woman of the house, who distributes the best pieces of meat to each guest. The spoon was introduced by the urban middle classes in the 20th century, without however displacing the hand.

iv. Economy

The industrialisation of semolina since the 1980s (Dari, Lassana, Pavillon des Délices) has democratised daily access to the dish, without displacing hand-rolled semolina for big occasions. Several women's cooperatives of the Souss, the Drâa and the Tadla market a hand-rolled semolina recognised by the Maison de l'Artisan as a terroir product.

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