Couscous - almost a French national dish
I first discovered that wonderful Arabic dish known as couscous when visiting Paris. This delicious dish was brought to France by people from Morocco and Algeria who went to settle there, and the couscous restaurants that they established quickly became popular with students and Bohemians – especially due to the fact that they provide a good, healthy, value-for-money meal.
Couscous is steamed semolina wheat, formed into tiny grains, and is a staple food which is widely eaten in North Africa and the Middle East. It is light, fluffy, easy to digest and is a great complement to spicy meats and stews. It is traditionally served with either lamb, chicken or spicy merguez sausage, and with a lovely vegetable stew which generally includes carrot, turnip and chick peas. A popular accompaniment to couscous is piquant sauce made from tomato and chilli, and this can be mixed with the juice from the stew to reduce its strong hot flavour to individual requirements.
There are in fact a wide variety of ways of preparing the dish, with some variations including apricots and raisins mixed in with the couscous.
Couscous restaurants are in abundance in Paris, and other major French cities, and are an essential part of the visit to France – especially as some have argued that couscous is almost a national dish of France.
As a true cross-cultural mix, couscous goes down particularly well with French red wine.
Recommended places to enjoy couscous in Paris include Mansouria on the rue Faidherbe, and La Maison de Charly on the boulevard Gouvion-Saint-Cyr.
