What spices go with couscous
Quick answer
Saffron, Cinnamon (Ceylon), Ginger — in roughly that order of how well established each combination is.
Each is explained below, with the cuisines it belongs to and the point at which it stops working.
Why couscous behaves as it does
Couscous contributes almost nothing of its own, which is the point of it: in North African cooking it is steamed in a couscoussier over the stew it will be served with, and the aroma of that stew is what seasons it. That makes the useful question not what goes on the couscous but what goes in the pot beneath — ras el hanout, saffron, ginger, cinnamon and the harissa served alongside. Where it is prepared by soaking rather than steaming, which is how most of the world now cooks it, the seasoning has to be added directly and the reliable additions are those that do not need heat: lemon, herbs, olive oil and a finishing spice.
Strong
Saffron
StrongThe pairing that follows from the technique. Couscous is steamed over the stew it will be served with and takes its flavour from the pot beneath, so the saffron goes in the broth rather than on the grain — and the grain carries it up as vapour.
How: In the broth beneath the couscoussier
- Adding saffron to the dry grain wastes it; it needs liquid
Good
North African savoury cooking uses cinnamon in meat stews rather than in desserts, and a couscous served with such a stew is seasoned by it. Ceylon cinnamon rather than cassia, which is the Moroccan preference and reads lighter.
How: In a lamb or chicken tagine served over couscous
Ginger
GoodDried ginger is one of the four or five spices a Moroccan stew is built on, alongside cumin, turmeric, cinnamon and pepper, and it is the one that gives the broth its lift. A couscous is only as seasoned as its broth.
How: In the stew beneath
Cuts and forms
Fine, Medium, Pearl (Israeli), Barley couscous. These do not all take the same spicing — the notes above flag where the difference matters.