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A couscoussier () is a traditional double-chambered
A couscoussier () is a traditional double-chambered food steamer
A food steamer or steam cooker is a Small appliance, small kitchen appliance used to cook or prepare various foods with steam heat by means of holding the food in a closed vessel reducing steam escape. This manner of cooking is called steaming.
...
used in North African
North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...
and Berber cuisine
The Berber cuisine (), though lacking a singular and standardized culinary framework, encompasses a diverse range of traditional dishes and influenced by the numerous flavours from distinct regions across North Africa. There is no consistent Berber ...
(particularly, the cuisines of Libya
Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...
, Tunisia
Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...
, Algeria
Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...
and Morocco
Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...
) to cook couscous
Couscous () is a traditional North African dish a quote: “Couscous or seksu (Image 1) in Berber language or kuskus in Arabic is by origin a Numidian (the Berber population of Numidia) dish…” of small steamed granules of rolled semolina ...
.
This container is composed of:
* from a lower part, the pot, usually containing water, vegetables, red or white meats. It plays a double role in cooking couscous: boiling the vegetables and meats it contains and providing hot water steam.
* an upper part, also called a "couscoussière": a kind of sieve, the bottom of which is pierced with holes, allowing steam to pass through for the cooking of the couscous.
The cooking of food (vegetables, meats, broth) inside the lower part of this container, over a low heat, and couscous, is possible provided that the assembly of the two containers is watertight, not allowing the steam thus produced to escape, which is why in general it is necessary to surround the interlocking of the two parts with a strip of cloth soaked in oil and paste (couscous residues) to prevent the loss of steam.
The two interlocking pots, made of either the traditional ceramic
A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant, and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcela ...
, or metal (steel
Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon that demonstrates improved mechanical properties compared to the pure form of iron. Due to steel's high Young's modulus, elastic modulus, Yield (engineering), yield strength, Fracture, fracture strength a ...
, aluminium
Aluminium (or aluminum in North American English) is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Al and atomic number 13. It has a density lower than that of other common metals, about one-third that of steel. Aluminium has ...
or copper
Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orang ...
). The first, which is the larger one, holds water or soup used to produce steam. The second, the smaller pot, is designed to be placed on top of the first, and has a lid and a perforated floor, so that it holds the couscous in place while allowing the steam to enter and seep through the grains. Once the couscous is steam-cooked, the lower pot may be used to simmer and complete its cooking, in order to serve the prepared dish.
See also
*List of cooking vessels
This is a list of cooking vessels. A cooking vessel is a type of Cookware and bakeware, cookware or bakeware designed for cooking, baking, roasting, boiling or steaming. Cooking vessels are manufactured using materials such as steel, cast iron, ...
References
{{reflist Cooking vessels Boilers Moroccan cuisine Tunisian cuisine