Although she knows how to prepare it well, she decides to buy it ready-made from Valle, a couscous seller in the neighbourhood.
Fala sits every evening in her usual place in the neighborhood, where most of the residents go to buy their couscous, after she spent most of her day preparing it.
Valeh explains to “Sky News Arabia”, the method of making the Mauritanian couscous, saying: “I buy pure, which is small grains of wheat paste. I use flour to roll it in a large dish until the couscous takes its final shape, then sprinkle it with oil and put on it “taqiya” (powdered). Molokhia leaf) and leave it to simmer over the steam.
Falah repeated placing the couscous several times in the semi-circular dish with large holes, in which she makes a transparent cloth that allows water vapor to pass through, and after making sure that it is ready, she carries it to her council to sell it to customers.
Selling couscous is considered a source of livelihood for a large segment of the uneducated women in Mauritania, especially the “Haratine” category.
way to prepare
Aisha cooks some meat with a little onion, leaves it to soften, then pours the hot broth over the couscous and covers it until the small grains absorb it and gain its delicious taste.
In contrast to the Mauritanian way, couscous is distinguished in the countries of the Maghreb, not only with the yaa appended to its name, but also by relying on vegetables more than meat.
Moroccan Khadija Al-Ghalmi, a restaurant owner in Nouakchott, says: “In Morocco, seven types of vegetables are required with couscous, which are onions, tomatoes, carrots, turnips, cabbage, zucchini, pumpkin or honey squash, with a little meat or with chicken.”
Khadija explains to Sky News Arabia: “The difference between couscous in Mauritania and Morocco is that the Mauritanians twist it and rely on meat in large quantities and put ghee on it, while in Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia we use the factory couscous and steam it, then we make it a mixture of raisins and chickpeas and add parsley, pepper, olive oil as well as spices Such as ginger, turmeric, saffron and cinnamon.
wedding meal
In Mauritania, couscous is considered the main meal for weddings, and even the meal for all occasions.. It is an old custom that, on holidays, the daughter-in-law must “command” her relatives with a luxurious dish of couscous that she sends to them at noon on the day of the feast.
On the World Heritage List
On September 16, 2020, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO, included couscous on the World Heritage List, after a joint file submitted by Mauritania, Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, ending a debate that had been raging for a long time about the right of each country to own the most popular dish in the north Africa.
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