Great Book of Couscous: Classic Cuisines of Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia [Paperback]

Copeland Marks (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 16, 1994

The North African pasta known as couscous is a form of cracked wheat eaten as a cereal, with meat and vegetables as a main dish, or with fruit and nuts as a dessert. The author of Sephardic Cooking presents some 350 recipes from one of the great cuisines of the world.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Copeland Marks has written prolifically about authentic ethnic food, covering every place from Guatemala to the Himalayas. In The Great Book of Couscous Marks presents the history and culinary brilliance of Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia; the region of North Africa also know as the Maghreb. Couscous is a common cooking ingredient, along spices--particularly cinnamon, cumin, coriander and paprika, in all these countries. Each of these areas was also originally populated by the Berbers, occupied by the Ottoman Turks and the Arabs, then colonized by the French. These cultures heavily influenced the local cooking, with some differences in each.

Moroccan food is the most complex and sophisticated, Marks explains. Dishes may blend half a dozen spices, along with dried fruit and salt preserved lemons or olives. Tunisian food is relatively simple and hot, though many cooks will still find it amply robust and intriguing. Algerian food, Marks claims, is the most creative, as well as the most marked by French influences. Armchair chefs will enjoy the colorful descriptions of the markets, visits with home cooks, and experiences in restaurants. The recipes for the many tagines or stews, roasted chickens, and other dishes are easy to follow. Their ingredients are mostly available at supermarkets. The inclusion of Jewish dishes from the Maghreb make this a particularly interesting book for many people not familiar with the garlic-rich Moroccan Chickpea Stew or Algerian Merguez Juive, a sausage made with lamb or beef, cumin, coriander, and fiery chile powder. Though it takes some work to prepare the clear, precisely written recipes Marks provides, the aromatic, succulent results are worth the effort. --Dana Jacobi --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Few cookbooks have single-mindedly tackled couscous, the North African pasta that has become a stellar side dish in cafes and restaurants. Marks (Sephardic Cooking) turns his attention to the cuisines of North Africa that accompany couscous in all its guises-slow-cooked tagines, simmered charmoulas and others. Recipes from Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia are presented as the author found them prepared in native kitchens, without much concern for overlapping styles (there are more than two dozen recipes for kefta or meatballs simmered in sauce). North American palates may have to adjust quite a bit to accommodate the sweetness and warm spices that characterize much of Moroccan and Algerian cooking (as much as one-quarter cup of sugar in one tagine); Marks rarely compromises. To present the cuisine of the region as he found it is his goal. An indigenous ingredient such as the spiced, fermented butter known as smen, indispensable to Moroccans, is listed as an ingredient without any possible substitute for Americans. Such authenticity could daunt novices. However, Marks's research and robust writing style make the book absorbing. His preface to a recipe for jaban, a treat commonly found in the fez or street market, warns, "This nougat is not so hard that it pulls the fillings out of your teeth, but it is a most delicious chew."
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 333 pages
• Publisher: Donald I. Fine (November 16, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1556114206
• ISBN-13: 978-1556114205
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #505,232 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, all-season recipes for fresh, flavorful dishes, October 26, 1997

By 

A Customer - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Great Book of Couscous: Classic Cuisines of Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia (Paperback)

I consult this book after just about every trip to the farmer's market. It's an excellent source of fairly exotic, easy to prepare dishes, almost every one of which turning out a great success. Several lamb stews, one with dried prunes and raisins, another with parsley and fennel, kumin-seasoned carrots, couscous with chickpeas and onions and stuffed cornish hens with apricots, almonds and honey have all received rave reviews at our table. No recipes are overly elaborate, the problem is, to not become overly enthusiastic and try to cook up a whole chapter at a time.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Thorough review of North African Food, February 17, 2001

By 

rodboomboom (Dearborn, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Great Book of Couscous: Classic Cuisines of Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia (Paperback)

This author certainly knows the subject matter of this work and offers much in the way of descriptive background and recipes.

A favorite from the book is the Kesksou Bil Djedg (Chicken couscous) a staple dish of Algeria. It is so good and healthy with vegiies and all the spices of this region.

Included also are the typical fare of the area, tagines, and bastilla.

I prefer Wolfert's works on this fare.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 5 Stars for the Recipes, November 27, 2004

By 

Linguistic Chef (The East Valley, AZ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Great Book of Couscous: Classic Cuisines of Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia (Paperback)

I bought this book because it is very difficult to find an Algerian cookbook, especially in English. Although it is divided into Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, the Algerian recipes are authentic. The recipes are simple enough to make with ingredients that are readily available; and even if you can't find something, just improvise.

It is always interesting to find out how a non-native of a country became interested in its culture/cuisine. Throughout the book there is a "dialog" he has about how he was introduced to various dishes (people he met and knew in these countries), as well as background information on the religion practiced by the majority of the people in these countries, Islam. The downfall is that some of the religious background is related more to customary practices of the regions rather than actual Muslim teachings. Moreover, the dessert section is minimal, but this book has recipes that are reminiscent of dishes "back home."