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(PENMART01) wrote in
:

> Couscous is pasta, duh.
>

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 SAUCE.
© Copyright Barron's Educational Services, Inc. 1995 based on THE FOOD
LOVER'S COMPANION, 2nd edition, by Sharon Tyler Herbst.