couscous, kuskus where to buy Israeli couscous & differences

Many of our customers asked us where to buy Israeli couscous in Israel, and what is the difference between this and classic couscous (also pronounced as kuskus – קוסקוס )?

CousCous – food so nice they named it twice.

There is a little confusion on the subject of couscous and Israeli couscous,

We are here to solve it today -so stick with us.

 

What is the difference between couscous and Israeli couscous?

When it comes to couscous we can go both ways:

1) There is original couscous from the Morrocan kitchen.

2) There is what is known as Israeli couscous(Also Known As Ptitim)

Morrocan CousCous | Morrocan kuskus

Couscous, one of the most favorite dishes, served in almost every house in Israel at least once a month, and you can find it in almost every Shabbat table, as it is quick and tasty! and how to cook couscous is pretty simple as well – and will be presented later in this article as well recommended places to eat and where to buy couscous while in Israel and in places around the U.S.A and Canada.

couscous (some write is as kuskus) comes originally from the Morrocan kitchen, and it is very little steamed balls of crushed durum wheat semolina(Sort of dough) which creates this fantastic Dish.

 

Some people like to eat couscous dry(as is)

dry kuskus

 

some like to make a vegetable stew and pour it on top of the couscous

kuskus with sauce

some like to eat their kuskus with meat like Schnitzel for example (Another favorite Israeli dish).

kuskus with meat

where to buy couscous

There are a couple of places to buy couscous/kuskus:

Buying couscous In Israel

If you want to buy couscous in Israel you can literally get it almost every grocery store, and find it in almost every restaurant menu…kuskus is that popular!

Buy couscous online

If you are outside of Israel, your best bet is to buy couscous on eBay! we have made a link to the couscous you buy here in the grocery stores so you can check it out:

Buy couscous on eBay here

how to cook couscous

The best couscous recipe:

To make this quick and easy meal, just buy a bag of couscous in any store.
You will have the way to prepare it written on the bag itself but in any case:

  1. pour it into a bowl.
  2. pour some salt, pepper (as you feel…you can always add on later).
  3. 2 tablespoons of oil(or olive oil).
  4. pour hot water into it.
  5. put the couscous in the microwave for 3-4 minutes covered with a plate or anything of that sort.
  6. After taking the couscous out of the microwave just separate it(stab it) with a fork.
  7. serve hot! Recommended with some side dish on top( Don’t feel alone if you like it dry – WE DO!)

For more couscous recipes you can find here on youtube: CousCous recipes

 

What is Israeli couscous (AKA Ptitim)

Israeli couscous, or as we call it in Israel Ptitim (פתיתים), Is actually not related to couscous at all…

Israeli couscous | where to buy israeli couscous

You can look at Israeli couscous, Ptitim, as small balls of a dough like pasta, and the difference between couscous and Israeli couscous is that couscous is prepared by steaming in hot water and Ptitim is actually boiled like pasta is.

Maybe it has goisraeli couscoustten it nickname because of the looks of it, but it does not act as couscous and is not similar in the taste.

More than that, although it is a popular dish and you can find almost everywhere where to buy Israeli couscous, it is not as popular as the traditional couscous, and even more than that it is less common in restaruants (but not rare of course…)

Don’t get us wrong, we love Ptitim!! It is amazingly tasty, very easy to make, and goes with lots of things! Yummy!

(Not to forget it is one of the tastes that goes with us since childhood…)

where to buy Israeli couscous

Buying Israeli couscous In Israel

You can find Isreal couscous/Ptitim in almost every store. the best is probably to get it from the company “OSEM” as it is the most popular…and also OSEM is one of the biggest manufacturers in Israel creating the Bamba as well.

Buy Israeli couscous online

again, If you are outside of Israel, your best bet is to buy Israeli couscous on eBay!

Buy Israeli couscous on eBay here

how to cook Israeli couscous

As we said, Ptitim is fairly quick and easy to cook, Here is a nice recipe on how to cook Ptitim:

Ingredients

  • 1 cup of Ptitim
  • 1 and a quarter cup water
  • 1 tablespoon of olive oil or canola oil
  • Salt

Instructions

  1. Heat a pot and add The oil to it till it is hot. Add the couscous and cook, stirring frequently, for 1-2 minutes.
  2. Add water to the pot and bring to a simmer.
  3. Cover and cook on low for 10 minutes, Taste it to see if it is done, then remove from heat.

If you want some more Ptitim recipes you can find them here!

 

Now you know where to buy Israeli couscous and what the difference between couscous and Israeli couscous!

If you are a foody like us, you will probably enjoy this blog posts:

Top 12 Dishes You Must Try While in Israel

Best Chef Restaurants in Tel Aviv

BETEAVON! (Bon Appetit in Hebrew 🙂

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