Couscous: traditional ethnic dish or healthy convenient food?
Couscous is both and offers variety and quick preparation!
Traditional couscous in Maghreb Rice couscous Fashion couscous - taboulé salad
“What pasta is to Italians, what rice is to the Chinese, couscous is to the people of the Maghrib. It has been a staple of the diet and a presence in the culture of North Africa for more than 1000 years.” Kitty Morse
Couscous is nearly 1 000 years old and finds its roots in North Africa. It spread throughout Europe in the 17th century. Nowadays, it is mostly at home in France where it is considered as the third most popular dish and consumed in its different varieties (salad like “taboulé” or traditional couscous).
A variation of couscous is known in Brazil, called «paulista» made from corn flour. It was introduced in this continent by the Portuguese colonists and their slaves native to Morocco in 1769.
The first attempts to industrialize couscous production was initiated in 1963 with the company BASSANO developing particularly the technology of Rotante drying.
Benefiting from this background, AFREM, BASSANO successor, has been able to develop turnkey couscous production lines in France (which is the main manufacturer of industrial couscous) and then in North Africa, in the United States, Canada, Italy… Afrem brand belongs to Clextral since 2002.
