Couscous

Couscous is fine semolina grain steamed fluffy in a couscoussier set above a simmering stew of lamb, chickpeas and seven vegetables, the two elements served together on one large shared platter. It is the defining staple of the Maghreb — eaten across Algeria, Morocco, Mauritania and Tunisia, whose four governments jointly won its place on UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage list in 2020 — and abroad it has become the word people reach for to describe North African cooking as a whole, even though it is one dish among hundreds. In Morocco it is the default Friday family meal: the day after the mosque, the day the household eats together.

What it really is

The semolina is rolled with water into tiny granules, then steamed three separate times in the perforated top half of the couscoussier, raked and moistened between each round until every grain separates and turns light. That grain is the constant across the Maghreb; the stew below it changes by country, region and season. In the classic Moroccan Friday version, lamb browns with onion, ginger and saffron before carrot, turnip, courgette, cabbage and chickpeas go in to simmer in the same rising steam that cooks the grain above — the two halves of the pot share one broth, one aroma, from start to finish.

In Morocco, seven vegetables is a rule, not a coincidence. The number is considered lucky in Moroccan tradition, and a proper Friday couscous there is built to that count deliberately, even when the exact vegetables vary by season and household. Other Maghreb kitchens build the pot differently: the grain is shared, the stew is local.

How it's served

• Mounded on a wide communal platter, meat and vegetables arranged on top of the grain.
• With the broth ladled over at the table, more added as needed.
• Often with a small bowl of harissa or a sweet-and-savoury raisin-onion topping alongside, for those who want it.

How to write it on the menu

• Say which protein — lamb, chicken and vegetarian versions are all common, and guests shouldn't have to ask.
• Flag the wheat in the semolina; it's easy to assume a vegetable dish is automatically gluten-free.
• Note if it's the seven-vegetable version specifically, since "couscous" alone can also mean plain steamed grain served as a side.