Couscous can be a stand alone meal or a base for stews.
Couscous is a coarsely ground semolina pasta staple in North African and Middle Eastern countries. Each country has its own version of the dish using different spice blends. Saffron, turmeric, coriander and cumin are all spices used to flavor couscous dishes.
Cumin, Turmeric and Coriander
Moroccans use cumin and turmeric to flavor their meat and vegetable couscous dishes. Cumin comes from the seed of a small plant in the parsley family and is available dried or powdered. Cumin has a spicy-sweet flavor. Turmeric can be found in powdered or stick form and has an acrid aroma and mildly bitter flavor. Turmeric is also used prominently is Indian curries.
Spanish, Middle Eastern, Indian, Asian and South American recipes all use coriander in their couscous dishes. Coriander seeds have a sweet and aromatic smell when they are ripe.
Cayenne and Saffron
Both cayenne and saffron are ingredients in Israeli couscous. Cayenne powder, also known by the name, capsicum, contains several varieties of peppers. The finely ground powder has red or red-brown color with a pungent aroma.
Saffron is one of the world's most expensive spices because of the large amount of flowers it takes to create it and extensive amount of labor that must go into harvesting it. Native to the Mediterranean, saffron has a pungent bitter-honey taste and it is a key ingredient in many Spanish couscous recipes.
Ginger
Ginger is often used in Asian dishes, but can also be used in couscous. Fresh ginger is best for dishes, but you can also use powdered or dry ginger. The spice has a sweet aroma and adds a strong flavor to recipes such as citrus ginger couscous.
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