La Cuisine Pied Noir: wandering in “nostalgia-scape”

Abstract

The year 1962 marked the end of the colonial occupation of Algeria by France after more than 130 years. In the wake of a bloody war of independence, nearly 700 000 former European settlers left their old homeland under dramatic circumstances. Most of them ended up in the port of Marseille to find a new livelihood in their motherland France. After their exodus from French Algeria, a state which was doomed to failure, the “Pieds-noirs” developed a multilayered culture of remembrance. Their specific food culture — La Cuisine Pied Noir — emerged as an essential part of their heritage. An interdisciplinary academic approach to this cuisine allows for a deeper understanding of culinary cultural transfer in the context of colonialism and decolonisation. “La Cuisine Pied Noir” highlights the importance of food as a cultural companion and as a guardian of social identity. The drama of the Algerian–French history is still discussed in present-day France. Finally, the archives in both countries are opened to historical studies. This article invites researchers in the field of food culture to participate in a stimulating discussion.

Keywords

• algerian cuisine
• algerian war
• decolonisation
• food culture
• heritage
• la nostalgerie
• migrant cuisines