Couscous

My first day in The Rif was a Tuesday. I asked for couscous at a restaurant and was met with laughter.

In Morocco, couscous is only served on Fridays. This applies both in restaurants and in people’s homes. I haven’t been given a clear answer as to why. I’ve heard there are religious reasons. I can imagine traditional reasons, just like the old Swedish tradition of pea soup on Thursdays. It could also simply be for practical reasons, as couscous is time-consuming to prepare, or because people want to cook large portions at a time and be sure they’ll be eaten.

In Sweden, I’ve made couscous by pouring pre-cooked grains into a bowl, pouring over hot water from the kettle and waiting for five minutes. In Morocco, couscous seems to be more complicated. The grains are cleaned of dirt by hand and steamed in special pots.

The couscous dish consists of couscous grains, vegetables and stock. There is, of course, vegetarian couscous, but the most common is couscous with chicken or beef. Sometimes the couscous dish is topped with caramelised onions.

Potatoes, turnips, carrots and sweet potatoes are common in both couscous and tagine. Couscous usually also contains pumpkin.

I don’t mind that couscous is only served on Fridays. I find the dish rather bland. The couscous grains are unseasoned, as are the vegetables. The chicken and stock are usually mildly seasoned.

I like vegetables that have a bit of bite and taste like vegetables. I think the vegetables in the couscous are overcooked; they’ve lost their natural vegetable flavour.

People usually drink buttermilk with couscous. It is more tangy than milk, but thinner than yoghurt. Buttermilk is also used in seykouk.