Couscous (Cous-cous or Cous cous) is a traditional staple food in North Africa; it is also common in Western Africa whence it has spread into Central Africa. Couscous is a pasta, made by mixing flour and water to form a paste which is then formed and dried. Most couscous is made with flour ground from durum wheat, but rice, maize (corn), or cowpea (black-eyed pea) flours are sometimes used. Home-made couscous is rare these days; even in rural Africa most people buy ready-to-use couscous from a store or market.
river scene in mali
In Northern Africa the word couscous refers not only the pasta itself, but also to a dish of stewed meats and/or vegetables that is served with the pasta (just as the word spaghetti means both the noodles or a dish of noodles with sauce). The traditional method of preparing couscous is to steam-cook it in a special pot called a couscoussière. The couscoussière consists of two parts: the lower part is a cooking pot, usually rounded on the sides like a barrel, the upper part is a second pot (with a lid) that fits snugly on top of the bottom pot. The top pot has holes in its bottom that admit steam from the lower pot. The stew cooks in the bottom pot while the couscous is steamed on top. (Real couscous is always steamed, never boiled.) Most traditional couscous recipes call for the couscous to be dampened with water (or oil), then steamed, removed and allowed to cool, mixed with butter or oil, then steamed again, and then perhaps cooled and steamed a third time. If your kitchen is not equipped with a couscoussière, you can improvise with a metal colander inside a normal cooking pot and a lid to cover it all. Note: the boxed couscous available in grocery stores, which is prepared by pouring the couscous pasta into boiling water, is really pre-cooked "instant couscous". Cooking "instant couscous" in the traditional method described here may result in mushy, overcooked pasta. Obtain real (not "instant") couscous from a specialty store, or, if using instant couscous, reduce the cooking time by at least half.
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