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Food and Drink in Wartime Tangier, 1940-1950
Abstract
World War II was an odd time in Tangier. The city was occupied by Spanish forces without a fight, but it was also characterized espionage, smuggling, and the arrival of refugees from all over. Tangier's unique administrative status compared to the rest of Morocco had already made it more difficult for the city to re-supply with foodstuffs, and the opportunity for smuggling into the French and Spanish zones meant that much of what did arrive did not stay. At the war's close, thousands of Moroccans from the Rif Mountains poured into the city seeking relief from the catastrophic drought and famine facing the region. In this paper, I reconstruct the foodways of Tangier in the 1940s, showing how they were shaped by wartime exigencies and the diverse populations living in the city at the time. The city's Western expatriate community and local populations mixed together in cafes, bars, and restaurants in an emergent dining scene. Rural migrants brought new ingredients and recipes into the city's culinary vernacular. All the while, the challenges of ensuring steady food supplies--caused in part by a weak Spanish administration--made securing basic sustenance difficult. Tanjawi cuisine--from its preferences in tea to the wide availability of alcohol to its fresh seafood--reflect its unique physical and human geography. The direct and indirect effects of the war helped catalyze distinct Tanjawi foodways, many of which continue to this day.
Discipline
History
Geographic Area
Maghreb
Mediterranean Countries
Morocco
Sub Area
None