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Israeli Couscous

We tasted five supermarket products, plain and in our Cook's Illustrated recipe for Israeli Couscous with Lemon, Mint, Peas, Feta, and Pickled Shallots.

Published on July 1, 2015

What We Learned

Israeli couscous, a round semolina pasta about the size of tapioca, provides wheaty flavor and pleasantly chewy starch to soups, salads, and pilafs. Distinct from the tiny, grain-like North African couscous, Israeli couscous, which originated in 1950s Israel as a substitute for rice, is larger and springier, with round, pale grains that earned it the alternative moniker of “pearl” c...