Bulgur vs. Couscous — What's the Difference?

Bulgur (from Turkish: bulgur, lit. 'groats'; also riffoth from Hebrew: ריפות‎, romanized: Riffoth, lit. 'groats' and burghul, from Arabic: برغل‎, romanized: burġul, lit. 'groats', from Kurdish: Şile‎) is a cereal food made from the cracked parboiled groats of several different wheat species, most often from durum wheat. It originates in Middle Eastern cuisine.

Couscous is a North African dish of small (about 3 millimetres (0.12 in) in diameter) steamed balls of crushed durum wheat semolina that is traditionally served with a stew spooned on top. Pearl millet and sorghum, especially in the Sahel, and other cereals can be cooked in a similar way and the resulting dishes are also sometimes called couscous.

Cracked wheat grains, often used in Middle Eastern dishes. Also called bulgur wheat.

A pasta of North African origin made of semolina or other grains, formed into small pellets and usually steamed.

Grains that have been steamed, dried, and crushed; a staple of Middle Eastern cooking.

A North African dish consisting of this pasta served with stewed vegetables or meat.

Parched crushed wheat.

A pasta of North African origin made of crushed and steamed semolina.

Parched crushed wheat

A kind of food used by the natives of Western Africa, made of millet flour with flesh, and leaves of the baobab; - called also lalo.

A spicy dish that originated in northern Africa; consists of pasta steamed with a meat and vegetable stew

A pasta made in northern Africa of crushed and steamed semolina