Couscous is at the center of many quarrels. And although UNESCO only accepted the dish's inclusion in its World Heritage after decades of discord, couscous still sows discord between countries and communities.
The “CouscousGate”, the “best couscous in the world”, the “best couscous of the year”… Each year, the chestnut trees in the press emerge. And couscous is the perfect subject for a heated debate. And we are not talking here simply of a recipe, which differs from one country to another, but of the appropriation of couscous. A dish that has been at the origin of many cultural conflicts and which remains the symbol of several quarrels that have become political. Following the internationalization of the durum wheat semolina-based dish, it is not clear who owns couscous. But do we really need it?
Either way, couscous has North African origins, which is not of Semitic origin. On this point, everyone seems to agree. The origins of couscous are also often claimed by the descendants of the peoples of Tamazgha, the Berbers or as they call themselves the Amazighs. Over time, the Semitic peoples arrived in North Africa and as far as the African Sahara. Arabs and Jews have taken over the Amazigh dish, and have all participated in making it evolve. Each people ended up adding their own ingredients to the basic recipe. What explains why each country claims its couscous as the best. And on this subject, inevitably, the debate is insoluble.
The couscous war
From Tunisia to Algeria, via Morocco, there are many countries competing for the best couscous recipes. Mauritania, Libya or, more recently, Senegal make a point of telling those who want to hear it that they have the best couscous in the world. Each of them has their own recipe. As for the culinary dimension, we therefore end up with very different aesthetically and tastefully dishes. But the same base always comes back. The dish is essentially made up of steamed durum wheat semolina, vegetables, meat and spices that make up its sauce.
It is therefore the origin of the ingredients that defines the recipe, and with it the type of conflict attached to it. And since it is traditional cuisine, the preparation methods are so rooted in the history of each country that they become ancestral. We are entering a more cultural dimension, which by dint of evolving, only creates more and more hostile exchanges.
This cultural difference around couscous is actually quite recent. He stepped out of family reunions during the “Couscous Fest”, an annual event that takes place in northern Sicily, Italy. And despite the poor attempt to make the dish their own by European chefs, no non-African cook has ever won the competition. In the last three editions of this competition, Angola, Tunisia and Senegal respectively won the editions of 2017, 2018 and 2019.
Algeria, Morocco and couscous
Couscous is a dish that sticks so closely to the skin of Africa that it was at the center of a controversy in France in 2017. A “CouscousGate” which touched the Front National (FN), the French party of far right, after a photo was posted on social media showing MEP Florian Philippot, who had just left the party, enjoying couscous.
Couscous is therefore a political communication tool. More recently, it is between the neighbors of Algeria and Morocco that the media war has raged. The presentation of couscous recipes on social networks, which influencers of North African gastronomy consider their daily bread, are sometimes accused of "cultural appropriation". Like the "hummus war" between Lebanon and Israel, the couscous war is highly political. The opportunity, very often, for Moroccans to "hit" on Algerians. And vice versa.
But North Africans have every interest in coming to an agreement to avoid "culinary colonization". In Europe, we already see couscous with foie gras or mussels coming out of the kitchen. The whole of Paris is falling for couscous with merguez, which is not to the taste of the diaspora. As for the royal couscous, it no longer has anything to do with that of Tamazgha.
So much so that Algiers and Rabat have managed to put their differences aside, so that couscous remains North African. Couscous traditions are now included in the list of intangible cultural heritage of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). An inscription carried out jointly by Algeria, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia. Or when couscous becomes a tool of diplomacy that unites on the international scene. But within families, we will continue to shout loudly that our couscous is better and more traditional than that of the neighbor.