Module 076 · Food Intelligence
Couscous
Friday
The sacred Friday meal. Seven regional variations, a three-steam technique, and the social contract that holds a country together over a shared plate.
001 — The Variations
Seven Ways to Friday
Couscous Bidaoui
كسكس بيضاوي
Casablanca
Seven vegetables + tfaya
The seven-vegetable couscous — Morocco's most popular version. Carrot, turnip, courgette, pumpkin, cabbage, potato, chickpeas. Turmeric-ginger broth. Often topped with tfaya (caramelised onion and raisin confit). The Friday standard.
002 — The Method
Three Steams
Roll the grain
فتل · 30–45 min
Semolina is moistened with salted water and rolled by hand in a gsaa (wide, shallow clay dish). Fingers rake the grains, forming small, uniform spheres. This step requires years of practice — the texture must be perfect. Too wet and the grains clump; too dry and they stay powder. Dusted with flour between passes. The dying art.
You don't cook when you mourn. The community cooks for you.
003 — The Ritual
A Friday Unfolds
Morning
Market run. Butchers are busiest — families select cuts of lamb, beef, or chicken. Vendors display seasonal vegetables. The Friday market has a different energy to any other day.
Late morning
Preparation begins. Rolling the grain. Cutting vegetables. Simmering broth. Multiple family members in the kitchen — grandmother teaching technique, children washing vegetables. The communal labour before the communal meal.
Noon
Dhuhr prayer + Jumu'ah (Friday congregational prayer). Streets empty. Mosques fill. The adhan echoes. Schools give afternoon off. Many businesses close for hours.
After prayer
The rush home. Fruit cart vendors gather outside mosques. Drivers caught in the swarm of worshippers heading home. The calm abruptly ends.
Lunch (1–2pm)
The meal. Communal platter. Right hand only. Stay in your section. Roll couscous into balls or use a spoon. Meat placed in front of guests by the host. Lben on the side. Every generation around one dish.
Afternoon
Fruit, naps, tea, conversation. The slow Friday. Some venture to cafés. Errands run at half speed. The second round of tea between five and seven. Mint, sugar, three glasses.
004 — Beyond Friday
Couscous
in Life
Birth
Couscous prepared to strengthen the mother. Distributed to neighbours and visitors. The first communal meal of a new life.
Wedding
Seffa medfouna between courses. Sweet couscous as palate cleanser. Seven-vegetable couscous for the main feast. The bride's family's couscous is a statement of their house.
Funeral
Couscous represents solidarity — neighbours bring couscous to the grieving family. You don't cook when you mourn; the community cooks for you.
Eid al-Adha
The sacrifice. The best cuts served with couscous that day. Remaining meat dried into gueddid for couscous in the weeks that follow.
Ramadan
Less common during the fasting month (harira takes the spotlight), but couscous returns for Eid al-Fitr — the feast that breaks the fast.
Guest arrives
Hospitality expressed through couscous. Refusing the dish is considered disrespectful — it represents effort, care, and goodwill. The more generous the portion, the greater the welcome.
005 — Across Borders
The Maghreb Styles
Morocco
Complex spice blending — saffron, ginger, cinnamon, turmeric, sweet paprika. Tfaya garnish. Seven-vegetable standard. Lamb or chicken. Buttermilk on the side. The most ornate.
Algeria
Humble and hearty. Heavy on vegetables and pulses. Fewer spices. Tomato-based broths common. Lamb dominant. The most filling.
Tunisia
Red broth — tomato concentrate and harissa give it heat and colour. Spicier than others. Fish couscous common on the coast. Octopus versions in coastal towns. The hottest.
Mauritania
Large-grain wheat (mabroum). Darker. Cooked with lamb, beef, or camel. Onion, tomato, carrot. Served with ghee (dhen). Desert-style. The richest.
Libya
Lamb dominant (sometimes camel). Not served at weddings. Sweet dessert version (maghrood) with dates, sesame, and honey. The most surprising.
006 — Language
Vocabulary
Amazigh (Tamazight) name for couscous. Means "well-formed." The original word from which "couscous" derives
Two-part steamer. Bottom pot (barma) holds broth. Top basket (kiskas) holds grains. French term adopted internationally
Wide, shallow glazed clay dish. Used for rolling grains and for serving the finished couscous. The communal platter
The steamer basket that sits atop the barma. Holes in the bottom allow steam to pass through. Never covered with a lid
Caramelised onion and raisin confit. Cinnamon, ginger, saffron, sometimes orange flower water. Almoravid-era origin
Buttermilk. Served cold alongside couscous. Traditional pairing. Never drink water with couscous — drink lben
Aged, fermented clarified butter. Strong, pungent flavour. Worked into couscous between steamings. Some families age it for years
Dried, salted, sun-cured meat from the Eid sacrifice. Used in couscous for weeks after the holiday
007 — By the Numbers
Key Numbers
Earliest written couscous recipe — anonymous Andalusian cookbook. Archaeological tools date to the 10th century or earlier
Vegetables in Couscous Bidaoui — Morocco's most popular Friday version. Carrot, turnip, courgette, pumpkin, cabbage, potato, chickpeas
Steamings for proper couscous — grain returned to the gsaa between each pass. Two minimum. Three for perfection
Moroccan entries on the UNESCO Intangible Heritage list as of December 2025. Couscous was the 10th
Year Algeria submitted a solo UNESCO bid for couscous — provoking Morocco. Years of negotiation preceded the joint 2019 application
Utensils required. Right hand, bread, your section of the communal dish. Spoons permitted. Left hand stays on your lap
Sources
Knowledge, know-how and practices about the production and consumption of couscous. Joint: Algeria, Mauritania, Morocco, Tunisia. No. 01602. December 2020.
Couscous: A Symbol Of Harmony In Northwest Africa, A Region Of Clashes. Jeff Koehler. June 2019.
T'faya in Moroccan Cooking. Christine Benlafquih. Almoravid-era techniques. Fez/Rabat distinctions (souiria vs. twimiya).
Friday Couscous: Morocco's Most Valued Tradition. August 2019.
UNESCO couscous inscription coverage, December 2020. Joint nomination diplomacy. "Couscous wars."
Regional variations across the Maghreb. Archaeological evidence (10th C cooking tools). Amazigh etymological origins (seksu / kseksu).