This is the Israeli pearl varietal that my wife prefers (I like the North African kind better), It is a fine alternative to rice in almost any dish. The nice thing about this purchase is that it is divided into four individually packaged parts meaning that the couscous will keep better on the shelf than it would had you bought a single 5 lb, bag instead.

I cannot find couscous in any local stores. this tiny pasta makes a great side dish and is easily made.

I first had Israeli couscous in Turkey. Before then, I had only had the smaller sort of couscous, and I immediately fell in love with the larger kind. It's more moist, it doesn't take as much seasoning to flavor, and the texture is nicer.

Needless to say, I was shocked to come home and find that a small box of Osem couscous ran about $4 in the grocery store here when in Europe and Asia you can get a kilo of the stuff for less. As soon as I found this on Amazon I ordered it, and I was not disappointed.

The containers look a bit smaller than I expected, but it's certainly a lot of couscous. The box I ordered has a sell by date that is 1.5-2 years later than my order date, and I'm sure I will use it long before then. The packaging is also reusable for other pasta or grains, and I plan on using these for other bulk products (lentils, smaller couscous, chickpeas, etc) once I go through them. These are not airtight, however, so I would only suggest using the containers for dried goods that don't spoil easily.

As for what to use couscous in, pretty much everything will do. I use it as a substitute for rice (unless I'm making Japanese or Chinese food), pasta, and even for filler when I don't quite have enough leftover soup or stew to make a full meal. Heat some couscous up and mix it in, and you can easily double or triple the number of meals your leftovers give.

The only thing I would warn about is using this in nonstick pans. If you do not use nonstick pans, keep a close eye on this as it cooks. Because it absorbs water so quickly, it can stick to the bottom of saucepans pretty easily if you aren't careful. If you're used to cooking sticky rice or other sorts or rice that don't require straining, it's about the same except that it cooks much more quickly.

I love couscous, the price was right, and the shipping was very fast (less than 1 week via standard shipping).

I was worried, ordering this online, that the couscous might be stale. The couscous was excellent, however, extremely fresh.

The containers are sturdy. fairly easy to open, and insure that the couscous can be easily stored in my cupboard. Looking at the images online, I was afraid that the containers might be large and bulky, but they were surprising compact. They don't take up too much room.

I like this LARGE pearl couscous better than the fine grain kind because I can cook them more, integrating more flavor and they are chewy-er; I think the food industry calls it "mouth feel". Yes, they do become sticky but the fine grain kind turns into a single lump. My order came in 4 separate jars so I can open only one jar as I use it and save the others to keep, if not fresher, then at least cleaner.