CUSCASOE. 97 The after grace is, El HarrCd u lillah *« Praise be to God."

A very excellent dish is generally eat in this country, called cuscasoe ; it is made with flour, granulated into particles the size of a partridge shot, which is put over a steamer, till the steam has sufficiently passed through it, so as to produce the effect of boiling ; it is then taken oflT, broken, and returned to steam a second time ; in the meantime, a chicken or some meat is boiling in the saucepan, under the steamer, with onions, turnips, and other vegetables ; when the cuscasoe has been steamed a second time, it is taken off, coloured with saffron, and mixed with some butter, salt, and pepper, and piled up in a large round bowl or dish, garnished with the chicken or meat and vegetables. This is a very nutritious, wholesome, and palatable dish, when well cooked. It is in high estimation with the Arabs, Moors, Brebers, Shelluhs, and Negroes. When they sit down to eat, each person puts his fingers into the dish before him ; and in respectable society, it is remarkable how dextrously they jerk the food into their mouths, which never come into contact with their hands ; so that this mode of eating is scarcely objectionable, certainly not obnoxious, as some travellers have represented it ; but who probably had associated with the lower ranks of society, who, indeed, are not particular in these observances.

All kind of trades are carried on at Marocco :