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Couscous with Seven Vegetables

Name: Couscous with Seven Vegetables
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 90 min
Cuisine: Moroccan
Ingredients: 500g medium-grain couscous; 800g lamb shoulder, bone-in; 2 carrots, halved; 2 turnips, quartered; 2 zucchini, halved; 1 small cabbage, quartered; 2 tomatoes, quartered; 200g chickpeas, soaked overnight; 1 onion, roughly chopped; 1 tsp ras el hanout; 1 cinnamon stick; 3 tbsp argan or olive oil; Fresh cilantro & parsley

كسكس

4.8(2,034 reviews)

120m total

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ADVANCED

About This Dish

Morocco's most sacred dish — hand-rolled semolina steamed three times to cloud-like perfection, crowned with seven seasonal vegetables and slow-braised lamb in golden broth.

Cultural Heritage

History & Origins

Couscous is Morocco's national dish and arguably the most important food in North African culture. Hand-rolled from semolina wheat, it has been prepared by Berber women for over a millennium. The word "couscous" derives from the Berber "seksu," meaning well-formed or rounded. Friday Couscous is a sacred tradition tied to the weekly congregational prayer (Jumu'ah) — families gather after mosque to share a communal pot. UNESCO inscribed couscous on its Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2020, recognizing a dish shared across Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Mauritania. The seven-vegetable version symbolises abundance and is considered a blessing.

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