Couscous Pearls, also known as Israeli Couscous, are small balls of toasted semolina flour. In Israel they are called Ptitim. During 19491959, Israel went through an austerity period during which food and other resources were rationed. Rice, a dietary staple, was scarce, and there was a need to come up with an alternative food source. Israel's first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion, asked the founders of a local food company to create a wheat-based substitute for rice. The result was tiny, toasted pasta made from hard wheat flour. It was an instant success with the people, and they gave it the nickname Ben-Gurion's Rice. Today, Israeli couscous remains a staple food in Jerusalem and is enjoyed by people in many places around the world.