Summertime, when it's hot and the living is easy, is the best time to eat salads. This is exactly what I made for a recent potluck lunch. One of my favorite dishes is Greek couscous salad. The word couscous always intrigued me. After doing some research. I found that couscous came from the Berber word, seksu. In Arabic, it is kusukusu.

Just as rice is a staple in Asia, couscous is an important starch in North Africa. The peoples of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya all consider couscous "their" starch.

This staple is traditionally made by a laborious hand method, with groups of women working together to make large quantities at one time. But you can buy it, pre-steamed and dried, in boxes in the health-food section of most groceries, and at health-food stores.

Couscous can be made from various grains, though commonly it is a combination of semolina (durum-wheat flour), salt and water. A typical recipe would call for two parts semolina to one part all-purpose flour. Handfuls of semolina are mixed with a little salt water and flour to form a dry, crumbly mixture which is then passed through a colander to form the characteristic peppercorn-size bits. Finally, a little oil may be added to the rice-shaped "grains." Couscous, a versatile pasta, is usually served with vegetable or meat stews, but also, as here, in a light, fresh salad. You need to cook the couscous first, according to package directions, to soften it up.

GREEK COUSCOUS SALAD

For the salad: