Couscous is a Maghrebi dish of small (about 3mm diameter) steamed balls of crushed durum wheat semolina, usually served with a stew spooned on top. Couscous is a staple food throughout the North African cuisines of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Mauritania and Libya and to a lesser extent in Sicily

The original name may be derived from the Arabic word Kaskasa, meaning "to pound small" or the Berber Seksu, meaning "well rolled", "well formed", or "rounded".

The origin of couscous is uncertain. It may have been invented by the Berbers.

To this day, couscous is known as 'the North Africa national dish'.

According to wikipedia