couscous

[ koos-koos ]

noun

1. a North African dish consisting of steamed semolina, typically served with vegetables and meat.
2. semolina in the form of tiny pellets or balls, produced by any of various methods and used in a number of different cuisines and dishes.
3. Israeli couscous ( def ).

couscous

/ ˈkuːskuːs /

noun

1. a type of semolina originating from North Africa, consisting of granules of crushed durum wheat
2. a spicy North African dish consisting of steamed semolina with meat, vegetables, or fruit C17: via French from Arabic kouskous, from kaskasa to pound until fine

Word History and Origins

Origin of couscous¹

First recorded in 1590–1600; from French, from Arabic kuskus, kuskusū, from Berber seksu

Example Sentences

Instead, pack ready-to-eat meals like tortillas or tuna, and foods you can cold-soak, like noodles or couscous.

From Popular-Science

Roughly the size of a pea, pearl couscous is even larger than Israeli couscous.

From Washington Post

To answer this question fully, we need to start with how couscous is made.

From Washington Post

Just as some cultures serve rice at nearly every meal, others do the same with couscous.

From Washington Post

If it’s not already a part of your regular diet, couscous is a great alternative to the typical starch rotation and deserves a place in your pantry for quick, filling dishes.

From Washington Post

A dinner of fluffy couscous and slow-cooked lamb at La Femina, a family-run Algerian restaurant popular with locals.

From The Daily Beast

One needs to see the master in action in order to understand the proper couscous technique.

From The Daily Beast

A couple of years back, Jean-Yves Hepp was driving down the Champs-Élysées and dreaming of couscous.

From The Daily Beast

The Kabyles live well at all events, and their couscous is renowned throughout all Algeria.

From Project Gutenberg

The Arab eats his couscous out of a great wooden platter, and disdains knife or fork or spoon.

From Project Gutenberg

Here were great copper cauldrons where the couscous was being prepared.

From Project Gutenberg

Couscous, kus′kus, n. an African dish of granulated flour steamed over broth.

From Project Gutenberg

When he had placed it on the ground, they served a couscous with this ox.

From Project Gutenberg