Saykouk is a Berber dish of the High Atlas, made with barley couscous served in lben — the tangy fermented buttermilk that is the traditional dairy of the Moroccan mountains. It is a summer food, eaten cold or at room temperature, and its combination of hearty grain and cooling fermented dairy is the same logic that produces Indian raita or Afghan dogh: in hot climates, fermented milk is both refreshing and probiotic. Saykouk is everyday mountain food, not a restaurant dish, and it is rarely found outside the Amazigh regions of Morocco.
The barley couscous is chewy and nutty, the buttermilk is cool, tangy and slightly thick; together they are both refreshing and filling. A drizzle of honey or a pinch of salt adjusts the balance.
The fermentation of lben is the key: lactic-acid bacteria convert the lactose in milk to lactic acid, which thickens the milk and gives it its tang, while also lowering the pH enough to inhibit spoilage. This is why lben keeps without refrigeration in the mountains, where it is made by leaving milk in a clay vessel at room temperature for a day or two. The barley couscous, being a whole grain with intact bran, absorbs the buttermilk slowly rather than turning to paste the way fine wheat couscous would, maintaining its chewy texture in the liquid.
Variations
Some add a pinch of anise or orange-blossom water to the lben. A sweet version uses honey instead of salt. It can also be served warm in winter.
On the Palate
Where Saykouk sits in the Moroccan flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 4How it's made
6 steps · 15 min
- 110 min
Steam 300 g barley couscous in a couscoussiere, 2 passes of 15 min, with oil between; set aside to cool.
- 25 min
Whisk 1 L lben (or buttermilk) with a pinch of salt (or 1 tbsp honey for sweet) until smooth.
- 33 min
Fluff the cooled couscous; divide among bowls.
- 45 min
Pour the lben over the couscous; let sit 5 min for the grains to absorb slightly.
Watch outGive the grains a few minutes to drink in the lben before serving — you want them to swell and stay chewy, not sit dry or turn to mush.
- 53 min
Drizzle with olive oil or honey; add a pinch of anise if using.
- 62 min
Serve cold or at room temperature.
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