21 
couscoussou, which forms thus a sort of pyramid, with- 
out any gravy or soup; the grains of 4he couscoussou 
are loose, and do not adhere: they are made of all sizes, 
from the smallness of oatmeal to the size of grains of 
rice. I look upon this dish as the best possible food 
for the people, for besides the advantage of being easily 
procured and conveyed, it is also very nourishing, 
wholesome, and agreeable. 
Every Mussulman eats with the fingers of his right 
hand, without either knife or fork, because the prophet 
used this way of eating. This custom, which offends 
the eye of a Christian, is not however either disgusting 
or inconvenient. After all the legal ablutions which 
the Mussulman performs during the day, and in which 
he washes his hands (as we shall see by-and-by,) he also 
washes them before he sits down to table, and after he 
has eaten his meal, so that they are always extremely 
clean; besides, their way of taking their meat with their 
fingers is very convenient. As to the couscoussou, 
they have the custom of forming it into balls, which 
they put into their mouths. 
There are some cooks in Morocco who are skil- 
ful enough in their art, and capable of dressing a great 
number of ragouts with various meats, poultry, venison, 
fish, and vegetables; but as the laws do not allow them 
to eat the blood, much circumspection is necessary. As 
to their fish or game, they are not eaten, unless care has 
been taken so to wound them while alive, that all the 
blood runs out of the body of the animal. W ealthy 
people have generally black negro women for cooks, 
and some of them are very dexterous. 
When they are going to eat, the dish is placed on a 
small round table, without legs, of about twenty or thir- 
ty inches in diameter, with an edge about five or six 
