Moroccan · dessert

Seffa (Sweet Couscous with Butter and Cinnamon)

Name: Seffa (Sweet Couscous with Butter and Cinnamon)
Prep time: 25 min
Total time: 55 min
Cuisine: Moroccan
Ingredients: 3 cups fine couscous semolina; 4 tbsp butter; 1 cup powdered sugar; 2 tsp cinnamon; 1/2 cup raisins; 1/2 cup toasted almonds; 2 tbsp orange blossom water; 1/4 tsp salt

Seffa (Sweet Couscous with Butter and Cinnamon) reads sweetness 6.9, citrus 5.4 and richness 4.9 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Moroccan dessert, about 55 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

Umami & Savory — 3.2 / 10
Sweet & Fruity — 8.2 / 10
Sour & Bright — 5.9 / 10
Bitter & Earthy — 1.3 / 10
Rich & Fat — 6.3 / 10
Aromatic & Spice — 2.5 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Sweetness 6.9 · Citrus 5.4 · Richness 4.9 · Nutty 4.6 · Fruity 4.5 · Salinity 3.1 · Warm Spice 2.4 · Floral 1.8 · Sourness 1.7 · Earthy 1.2 · Umami 1.2 · Bitterness 0.7

What's in it (8)

3 cups fine couscous semolina
4 tbsp butter
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup toasted almonds
2 tbsp orange blossom water
1/4 tsp salt

Time & effort: about 55 min (25 min active) · effort: medium

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 400.7 kcal, 9.7 g protein, 8.7 g fat, 72.3 g carbs

Dietary: Vegetarian · Contains dairy — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (4 steps)

Steam the fine couscous in a couscoussier, working in butter between steamings until fluffy and each grain is separate.
Soak raisins in warm water or orange blossom water until plump.
Mound the couscous on a platter, bury the raisins inside, and cover the surface with a decorative layer of powdered sugar and cinnamon.
Top with fried almonds.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

Tembleque (Coconut Pudding) — Puerto Rican
Tarta de Santiago — Spanish · Galicia
Biscotti di Prato (Cantuccini) — Italian
Koljivo (Žito, the Blessed Wheat) — Serbian
Kaak (Lebanese Ring Cookies) — Lebanese

Keep reading: what sweetness, citrus, richness mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.