We chose the couscous because a student in our class, called Latifa. She's from Nador. So, we wanted to know something about her culture.

Morrocco is in the north of Africa, the capital is Rabat. The official religion is Islam. The believers of Islam are called Muslims. They believe in one God (Allah), and Muhammad is his prophet. They have five pilars - arkan -: the prayer, the fasting during the
Ramadan in the ninth month of the lunar calendar - during which all food,
drink and sexual activity is forbidden from dawn to evening - the almsgiving and a peregrination to the holy city of Meca, if it is possible.

The Muslims pray five times a day: at dawn, at midday, during the evening,
at twilight and at night. The principal prayer takes place every Friday at midday,
in the Mosques.

It is the second religion of the world, with more than five hundred million believers.

MOROCCAN COOKING

They cook all type of food such as vegetables, fruits(both dry and fresh) meat, all except pork meat, as their religion forbid it. They also it eggs, fish and shellfish.

There are many Moroccan dishes like the tajine, the méchoui, the keftas.

But the most typical dish is the couscous.

Ingredients

The couscous is a familiar lunch of Friday, the guests can eat it all the
days. There are many varieties, depending on the area.

The couscous is present in many recipes. Their processing is very varied, the
principal element of couscous is semola.

After eating, the best drink is mint tea, it is one symbol of hospitality.

The Moroccan cooking is considered as the best of the Arabic world.

500 g of couscous

500 ml of water (for the step 1)

1 teaspoonful of salt

300 ml of water (to divide among the steps 3,5 and 7)

80 g of butter cut to pieces

Preparation

1 - put the dry couscous in a large bowl. Spill 500 ml of cold water with salt. Remove and leave it soaking for an hour more or less turning it occasionally.

2 - an hour and a quarter before serving the couscous, put it in the top part of a special pot to cook, the couscoussier, without pressing it. Place the top recipient on the boiling broth and leave it 15 minutes. Verify that both parts, the low one and superior, close hermetically so that the steam does not get lost for the edges and centers in the couscous.

3 - Overturn the couscous in another plate, remove it with a wooden spoon in order to separate the grains and allow it to cool. Then, spray it with 100 ml of water and with the hands rub the grains. Leave it to rest other 15 minutes.

4 - Put again the couscous on the boiling broth for 15 minutes.

5 - Repeat the operation described in step 3.

6 - Put it again on the steam for 10 minutes. Repeat step 3 and, until the grains are
loose. Cut the butter to bits and add it to the couscous. Stir it well, so that the grains remain well impregnated with butter. The couscous is ready to serve together with the ingredients that accompany it.

Anaïs Navarro, Latifa Bercane and Sandra Ramil. We are 15 years old and
students of a Secondary School (I.E.S. Emperador Carles in Barcelona)