Moroccan couscous recipe

COUSCOUS 💜

The origin of couscous is uncertain. Lucie Bolens affirms that Berbers were preparing couscous as early as 238 to 149 BC, describing primitive couscous pots found in tombs dating back to the reign of the Berber King Massinissa.Nevertheless, Charles Perry states that couscous originated between the end of the Zirid dynasty and the rise of the Almohadian dynasty between the eleventh and the thirteenth centuries. The remains of the first vessels ( known ) in the Tiaret region ( Algeria ) where cooking tools dating from the ninth century have been discovered, very strongly resemble the primary tool for cooking couscous 

One of the first written references is from an anonymous 13th-century North Africancookbook, Kitāb al-tabǐkh fǐ al-Maghrib wa'l-Andalus "The cookbook of the Maghreb and Andalusia", with a recipe for couscous that was 'known all over the world'. To this day, couscous is known as 'the North Africa national dish Couscous was known to theNasrid royalty in Granada as well. And in the 13th century a Syrian historian from Aleppoincludes four references for couscous.

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 These early mentions show that couscous spread rapidly, but generally that couscous was common from Tripolitania to the west, while from Cyrenaica to the east the main cuisine was Egyptian, with couscous as an occasional dish. Today, in Egypt and the Middle East, couscous is known, but in Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco and Libya couscous is a staple. It is also common in Western Africa whence it has spread into Central Africa. It is the national dish of theMaghreb countries. Couscous reachedTurkey from Syria to in the 16th century and is eaten in most of the Turkish southernprovinces.

Couscous is a traditional dish in Trapani, Sicily. In Rome Bartolomeo Scappi's culinary guide of 1570 describes a Moorish dish,succussu.

One of the earliest references to couscous in France is in Brittany, in a letter dated January 12, 1699. But it made an earlier appearance inProvence, where the traveler Jean-Jacques Bouchard wrote of eating it in Toulon in 1630. Couscous was originally made from millet.Historians have different opinions as to whenwheat began to replace the use of millet. The conversion seems to have occurred sometime in the 20th century, although many regions continue to use the traditional millet. Couscous seems to have a North African origin. Archaeological evidence dating back to the 10th century, consisting of kitchen utensils needed to prepare this dish, has been found in this part of the world.

our recipe for todsy is : aMoroccan couscous

Spices   :

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon pepper

2 teaspoons ginger

1 teaspoon cumin

1pinch saffron

1 teaspoon paprika

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon coriander

Stew    :

2 lbs lamb or 2 lbs chicken

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 onion, chopped

4 cups water

1cup tomato sauce

1⁄2 red bell pepper, minced

2 carrots, quartered

2 zucchini, quartered

1yellow squash, quartered

1 medium potato, peeled and quartered

1(16 ounce) can chickpeas

Caramelized Onion Topping:

1onion, minced

2 tablespoons olive oil

3⁄4 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3 Tablespoons dried raisin

Couscous:

2 cups dry couscous

3 cups water

4 teaspoons chicken base 

1⁄4 cup butter

The directions: 

Mix all spices in a dish and set aside.Chop meat into large chunks. Heat oil. Brown meat on all sides for 5 minutes.Add onion and garlic. Sauté for 5 more minutes.Add water, spices, and tomato sauce. Cook for 5 minutes.Add carrots and potato pieces. Cook for 10 minutes.Add zucchini and bell pepper to stew. Cook for 20 minutes.Add the chickpeas and cook last 5-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare onion topping. Sauté onions to a light brown color.Add rest of topping ingredients and cook till caramelized and bubbly. Set aside.

Boil the water for couscous. Add chicken base and butter.Add couscous. Make sure this is the last part of the recipe you make.Once the couscous is added, leave it alone for 5 minutes.

Serve any way you like. I plate the cousouse and top it with as much or as little stew as I want. Then I add the vegies that I want and top it all off with the sweet onion/raisin topping.

bon appetit!!!