Couscous & grains
Mesfouf (Buttered Sweet Couscous)
مسفوف · mesfuf
Mesfouf is couscous served plain and lightly sweet: fine grains steamed until fluffy, then tossed with butter and sugar and often studded with raisins, dates or nuts. Simpler than the elaborate seffa, it is a gentle supper dish and a common sweet couscous during Ramadan, sometimes eaten with a bowl of cold buttermilk alongside.
- Origin
- Across Morocco and the Maghreb
- Type
- Sweet steamed couscous
- Eaten at
- Light supper, Ramadan, buttermilk meals
- Key flavour
- Butter, sugar, raisin, cinnamon
What Mesfouf is
Fine couscous is steamed several times until light and separate, then dressed while warm with butter and sugar, and commonly mixed with plumped raisins, chopped dates or a few nuts.
Unlike a savoury couscous, there is no meat or vegetable sauce — mesfouf is about the grain itself, softly buttery and gently sweet, sometimes finished with a dusting of cinnamon.
Origin & story
Sweet, unadorned couscous is an old, everyday way of eating the grain across the Maghreb, valued as a light meal that is quick to dress once the couscous is steamed.
In Morocco it is common at Ramadan and as a simple evening dish, often served with cold buttermilk (lben), the tang balancing the sweetness — a pairing that itself constitutes a light supper.
Key ingredients at a glance
- Fine couscous
- Butter
- Sugar (or honey)
- Raisins, dates or figs
- Cinnamon
- Optional nuts (almonds, walnuts)
- Buttermilk (lben), to serve
This is a flavour snapshot, not a recipe. For quantities and method, see the full recipe linked below.
When & how it's eaten
Mounded on a plate and eaten warm as a light supper or a sweet course, frequently with a glass or bowl of cold buttermilk to drink or pour over.
During Ramadan it appears among the evening dishes as a soothing, easily digested option.
Regional variations
It ranges from barely sweet and plain to richer versions with dates, figs and nuts; some cooks steam it over milk for extra softness. Barley or corn couscous can be used for a rustic twist.
It is the humbler, everyday relative of the festive layered seffa and its dressed-up cousin seffa medfouna.
Where to try it in Marrakech
A home and Ramadan dish more than a restaurant one; a Friday couscous food tour opens the door to Morocco's couscous world, sweet and savoury.
Learn couscous steaming and dressing in a couscous cooking class and read more in the guides.
Frequently asked questions
What is mesfouf?
A light sweet couscous: fine grains steamed and simply dressed with butter and sugar, often with raisins or dates, eaten as a supper or Ramadan dish.
How is mesfouf different from seffa?
Seffa is a more elaborate, festive mound of couscous layered with sugar, cinnamon, almonds and fried nuts, while mesfouf is a simpler, everyday buttered-and-sweetened version.
Why is it eaten with buttermilk?
Cold buttermilk (lben) balances the sweet, buttery couscous, and the two together make a popular light Moroccan supper.