African Olympic Week – Couscous Salad
I was just having a chat with a friend, who thought that African foods are mainly meat-based. It isn’t – there are a lot of vegetarian dishes especially with cassava, yam, beans, and maize. However, I thought I’d introduce a familiar favourite to this round of vegetarian African meals – Couscous Salad!
Couscous is a North African staple originally from the Maghrib region (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia) which is traditionally made by women. It is commonly thought of a grain, but it is actually the world’s smallest pasta that is usually made from coarsely ground semolina. It can also be made from barley and millet.
Couscous is part of a strong North African identity, due to its symbolic role in both secular and religious meals. The secular meaning is of family solidarity because it is prepared during a family celebration. Religiously, it is eaten on Fridays, the end of Ramadan, and birth and wedding feasts. During this period it symbolises abundance, fertility, fidelity, and God’s blessing. When preparing couscous, women have to make an invocation and converse about religious facts, prosperity, and positive feelings.
Couscous Salad – Serves 4-6 people
1 454g or 16 ounces of Couscous
1 can of Chickpeas
1 can of Whole Kernel Corn
1-2 Tomatoes, diced
1 tablespoon Coriander
1/4 cup Lime Juice
1. Cook the couscous as per package instructions.
2. Transfer the couscous into a large bowl.
3. Add the remaining ingredients and mix it together
4. Put it into the refrigerator for 2 hours and serve chilled (but it can also be served warm if you prefer)
My verdict:
Eating it cold, this was brilliant and so easy to make. It only take a few minutes to chuck everything together to make something that tastes really good. Not to mention it’s very low in fat, it’s no wonder women convey positive feelings about eating couscous! The only thing was that one of the Judges thought that it smelled a bit funny – but then again, it was the first time that he had ever had couscous.
Judges verdict: Silver Medal
