Israeli couscous

). Ptitim was created in 1953, during the austerity period in Israel. Israel's first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, asked Eugen Proper, one of the founders of the Osem food company, to devise a wheat-based substitute for rice. The company took up the challenge and developed ptitim, which is made of hard wheat flour and toasted in an oven. Ptitim was initially produced with a rice-shape, but after its success Osem also began to produce a ball-shaped variety inspired by couscous. Consequently, ptitim is sometimes called "Ben-Gurion rice". ==Preparation==

Ptitim is made by extruding dough through a round mold, before it is cut and toasted, giving it the uniform natural-grain-like shape Unlike common types of pasta and couscous, ptitim was factory-made from the outset, and therefore is rarely seen home-made from scratch. The store-bought product is easy and quick to prepare. In Israel, ptitim is popular among children, who eat it plain, or mixed with fried onion and tomato paste. Ptitim can be used in many different types of dishes, both hot and cold. American chef Charlie Trotter has produced a number of recipes for ptitim-based gourmet dishes, even as a dessert. ==Similar products==

European Foods Ptitim is very similar to the German farfel, which was brought by German Jews from Europe beginning in the 1800s, and the two are often substituted for each other. The Sardinian fregula is a hand-rolled, toasted semolina product dating back to the 14th century. Ptitim has a similar nutty flavour to fregula, but is extruded rather than rolled. Ptitim also resembles some products of the pastina family, in particular acini di pepe, orzo ("risoni") and stellini. However, unlike pastina, the ptitim grains are pre-baked/toasted. Southwest Asian and North African Foods Moghrabieh in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria is made from durum wheat semolina, maftoul in Palestinian cuisine is made from bulgur and wheat, and Amazigh berkoukes (aka abazine, aïch) is semolina-based. Berkoukes is documented in North African literature as early as the 12th century, and maftoul and moghrabieh likely date back to the early modern period, when couscous was brought to the Levant from North Africa. While ptitim is produced by extrusion through a die like many pastas, moghrabieh, maftoul and berkoukes are produced by rolling dough between the palms or fingers, or between the hands and a flat surface. Ptitim is toasted before it is packaged and sold, while moghrabieh, maftoul and berkoukes are sold untoasted, but often toasted during their preparation by the consumer. ==See also==