# Is couscous pasta? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 7, 2004, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-couscous-pasta/244063 "2004-05-07T20:12:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![isam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/3d9bf3/32.png) [@isam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/isam)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-couscous-pasta/244063/1 "2004-05-07T20:12:03Z")
I remember reading somewhere that it was. I did a quick search and learned that it is made from seminola, which is used in the making of pasta. But my question is, is couscous actually considered pasta since it is made from the same ingredient? thanks in advance for your replies ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-couscous-pasta/244063/2 "2004-05-07T20:15:10Z")
A quick perusal of my cookbooks says…yes. Every recipe says “couscous pasta.” Every recipe that uses couscous, that is. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-couscous-pasta/244063/3 "2004-05-07T20:16:15Z")
SemoLINA flour. Not SemiNOLA flour, which is made from Southeastern American Indians. Ya, Morroccan pasta dish it is. And it’s best when you eat only half as much (gratuitous Arab joke) ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-couscous-pasta/244063/4 "2004-05-07T21:02:19Z")
Why would it not be a pasta? Start with a definition of pasta: I’ll make this one up for the occasion. _A food product made from wheat flour, pressed into shapes and (usually) dried for storage that is typically cooked by boiling when prepared as a meal._ Does couscous fit that definition? Yes. So it is pasta. Try a second definition: Also invented for the occasion. _Any of the various wheat-based noodle and noodle-like products native to Italy (or to areas populated by Italian immigrants)._ Is couscous Italian? No. So, under this definition that relies on the origins of the _word_ pasta, couscous is not pasta. (If one regards Chinese noodles or German Spaetzle (_Spätzle_) as pasta, then this definition is not valid and couscous reverts to being pasta.) ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-couscous-pasta/244063/5 "2004-05-07T21:41:16Z")
> [@tomndebb](#): > > Why would it not be a pasta? > > Start with a definition of pasta: > I’ll make this one up for the occasion. > _A food product made from wheat flour, pressed into shapes and (usually) dried for storage that is typically cooked by boiling when prepared as a meal._ > > Does couscous fit that definition? Yes. So it is pasta. Well, the couscous isn’t “pressed into shapes”. It’s just grinded flour. So, it doesn’t fit this definition. Besides, it certainly doesn’t look anything like what people have in mind when they think about pasta. It never crossed my mind to include both in the same category. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-couscous-pasta/244063/6 "2004-05-07T21:42:46Z")
> [@clairobscur](#): > > Well, the couscous isn’t “pressed into shapes”. It’s just grinded flour. > . I meant grinded wheat, not grinded flour. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-couscous-pasta/244063/7 "2004-05-07T21:45:00Z")
or even \*ground \*wheat? ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-couscous-pasta/244063/8 "2004-05-07T21:46:13Z")
> [@Inigo Montoya](#): > > or even \*ground \*wheat? Thanks. I’ll try to remember this one (though there’s no guarantee I will). ---
**Author:** ![Hemlock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Hemlock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hemlock)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-couscous-pasta/244063/9 "2004-05-07T21:48:43Z")
I’ve seen it made, by local women on a rooftop in rural Morocco. They flick water onto a shallow basket of flour and roll the basket round, forming little clumps. Very time consuming (the packeted variety you buy is of course made in a factory). They then steam a big pile of the stuff on top of the meat and veg, which is poured over the pile of couscous for serving. It has a distinctly more wheaty flavor than penne, spaghetti etc - not sure why. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-couscous-pasta/244063/10 "2004-05-07T22:41:22Z")
> [@](#): > > Well, the couscous isn’t “pressed into shapes”. Then it would fail that definition, as well. At that point, we could either modify the definition to say “_formed_ into shapes” (I have never seen couscous that was utterly formless in the way that ground wheat is, although that could be because I usually see manufactured and boxed couscous. It has always appeared as small elliptical beads (similar to Italian orzo, but shorter and softer). Or we could hold to the more narrow definition of pasta and exclude couscous. I suspect that, as the word pasta has tended to overtake the word noodle in American English to describe any wheat-based boiled food, couscous has begun to be lumped into the same general category. (I don’t have a vested interest in including or excluding couscous from pasta. I’m only exploring the ways that other people might arrive at their decisions.) ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-couscous-pasta/244063/11 "2004-05-07T22:47:24Z")
From [Dictionary.com](http://Dictionary.com): 2 entries found for couscous. cous·cous ( P ) Pronunciation Key (ksks) n. A pasta of North African origin made of crushed and steamed semolina. A North African dish consisting of pasta steamed with a meat and vegetable stew. It’s pasta. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2004, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-couscous-pasta/244063/12 "2004-05-08T00:27:06Z")
> [@clairobscur](#): > > I meant grinded wheat, not grinded flour. It isn’t the same things as cracked wheat or bulgar wheat; couscous is tiny little balls of dried dough. - there’s more than just grinding going on, there are subsequent processes, just like there is with pasta. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2004, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-couscous-pasta/244063/13 "2004-05-08T04:48:12Z")
I would say it’s most definitely a type of pasta. It sure looks and feels like pasta to me. The Italians have something called pasta grattata, and many cultures throughout Europe – Poland and Hungary come to mind – have a type of pasta which is made by passing a stiff dough through a cheese grater, usually using it as an accompaniment to soup or stews. Most of this pasta is not quite as fine as couscous, but it’s the same idea. I mean, heck, orzo isn’t necessarily what people think of when they think of pasta, but it most certainly is. Why not couscous? ---
**Author:** ![isam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/3d9bf3/32.png) [@isam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/isam)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2004, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-couscous-pasta/244063/14 "2004-05-08T06:43:07Z")
Sorry for causing all the debate, I didn’t know it was such a heated topic. heh :rolleyes: Regardless, thanks for all your responses. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2004, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-couscous-pasta/244063/15 "2004-05-08T07:28:20Z")
> [@tomndebb](#): > > Then it would fail that definition, as well. > > At that point, we could either modify the definition to say “_formed_ into shapes” (I have never seen couscous that was utterly formless in the way that ground wheat is, although that could be because I usually see manufactured and boxed couscous. It has always appeared as small elliptical beads (similar to Italian orzo, but shorter and softer). ) I ate a great deal of couscous, and I _never_ saw it appearing as elliptical beads, even when boxed. It just looks like semolina. Now, perhaps the couscous in the found in the US is different from the stuff we get here. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2004, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-couscous-pasta/244063/16 "2004-05-08T07:29:42Z")
> [@isam](#): > > Sorry for causing all the debate, I didn’t know it was such a heated topic. heh :rolleyes: > > Regardless, thanks for all your responses. Don’t worry. The thread will soon be moved to Great debates. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2004, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-couscous-pasta/244063/17 "2004-05-08T23:29:52Z")
> [@clairobscur](#): > > I ate a great deal of couscous, and I _never_ saw it appearing as elliptical beads, even when boxed. It just looks like semolina. Now, perhaps the couscous in the found in the US is different from the stuff we get here. Are you saying that you’ve seen it as a fine _powder_, like flour? (That would actually _ **be** _ semolina, not couscous). ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2004, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-couscous-pasta/244063/18 "2004-05-08T23:55:06Z")
> [@clairobscur](#): > > I ate a great deal of couscous, and I _never_ saw it appearing as elliptical beads, even when boxed. It just looks like semolina. Now, perhaps the couscous in the found in the US is different from the stuff we get here. Maybe. Both brands of it I’ve bought have stated right on the containers that they were pasta. So what does it look like? Here it looks (uncooked) something like rice grains cut in quarters or fifths, and yellowish tan. It definitely seems to have been shaped into _something_, since no flour is that coarse that I know of. ---
**Author:** ![cookeze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@cookeze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cookeze)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2004, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-couscous-pasta/244063/19 "2004-05-09T03:50:29Z")
In “Mediterranean Grains and Greens”, by Paula Wolfert, who has written more books about Mediterranean cooking than anyone I ever heard of, couscous and some of the myths associated with it are discussed. “Myth 2. Couscous is dried pasta. Not true! Pasta is made by kneading semolina and water to make a strong dough that can be stretched and cut to specific sizes and then boiled. As food expert Charles Perry wrote in the Los Angeles Times, ‘If you boil couscous (especially handmade couscous), it turns into a porridgy mess. If you steam it, though, it fluffs up into something completely lacking the chewy quality of gluten—something amazingly tender, practically etherial.’” ---
**Author:** ![quothz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/da6949/32.png) [@quothz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quothz)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2004, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-couscous-pasta/244063/20 "2004-05-09T05:36:11Z")
> [@cookeze](#): > > In “Mediterranean Grains and Greens”, by Paula Wolfert, who has written more books about Mediterranean cooking than anyone I ever heard of, couscous and some of the myths associated with it are discussed. She’s written six, for the record. One of which includes a “breakfast bibilical burrito”. So while she has a lot of credibility points, she loses about fifteen for that recipie. I went over to the National Pasta Association ([ilovepasta.com](http://ilovepasta.com)), where couscous is not acknowledged as existing. To them, there are only shapes of pasta, not varieties. Their “frequently asked” questions are vaguely amusing (“Why is American pasta the best you can buy?”). [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Couscous) suggests that couscous is a grain outside the United States, but becomes pasta when it crosses the border. Their pasta entry doesn’t mention it at all, although I just edited in a link to couscous near the bottom. I’m gonna say no, couscous is not pasta. I’ll try to remember to look it up at work tomorrow in our many food-related references, but it’s Mother’s Day and we’ll be busy so I might forget. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-couscous-pasta/244063.md?page=2)