What is French couscous?
In the US some supermarkets carry several varieties of couscous in their bulk sections, one of which is labeled French couscous. How does it differ from the other varieties of bulk grains called couscous? Is it just a matter of shape?
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Couscous is balls of crushed durum wheat semolina, essentially a pasta. It is a staple in the countries of North Africa, but has also become common in many countries in Europe and North America. I have found no indication that "French" couscous differs in any way from traditional couscous.
My guess is that what they call French couscous is really Lebanese couscous in marketing disguise. The Lebanese speak French, and calling it Lebanese might put people off due to their political leanings. French is probably just more palatable. Kind of like creating the term canola oil in favor of trying to market rapeseed oil.
Okay yes canola also has other aspects for its name. Other examples of renaming are nyjer birdseed and orange roughy fish (aka pacific slime head).
The bag of ‘French’ couscous I made last night went wonderfully with the braised lamb with vegetables, clementine, and kumquat stout stew. The balls were about the same size as lentils, bigger than Israeli couscous.
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