To begin with, couscous is served on Friday because Friday afternoon is the time of prayer in Islamic tradition. It is the one day of the week that there is an actual sermon or reading in the mosque, though many people go to the mosque every day of the week. Because of the sermon it is typical in the Arab world to have the day cut short at noon on Friday. Many of the Middle Eastern countries have workweeks from Sunday to Thursday, however Morocco is influenced by Europe and has a Monday-Friday workweek. For this reason no one has school and many don't have work after noon on Fridays.Couscous is served in many different ways across the country, and it is the national dish. I wish I could tell you why. What I can tell you is that it is delicious, and nothing like what you prepare out of a box at home. It is served on a massive dish with roasted vegetables on top and some kind of meat if the family can afford it. The whole family will gather around this dish and eat with fingers, spoons, or bread as utensils. Couscous is usually served with this homemade buttermilk called Laban. That part is an acquired taste. It tastes a lot like sour cream.
Couscous can be served as the savory dish, which is pretty exclusive to Fridays, or as a sweet dish. My friends' host mother is the couscous queen and makes the food every week for the employees at Amideast. They claim that many meals have been followed at their house with a smaller plate of sweet couscous. This variety is cooked with sugar instead of salt, and is sprinkled with sugar and drizzled with chocolate when served. How delicious!My first couscous experience was at Amideast during the welcoming day for the students who arrived from Egypt. It was really nice to share our experiences over three couscous dishes from my friends' host mom, each with an ENTIRE chicken in the middle. Unfortunately I did not get a picture of the dishes before they were devoured.
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