Moroccan Diaspora Foodways

Diaspora

One of Europe’s largest North African diasporas, and it is concentrated: FRANCE above all, then SPAIN, ITALY, BELGIUM and the NETHERLANDS — where the Moroccan community is among the largest immigrant groups and where msemen, harira, tagine and mint tea are ordinary high-street food — plus Germany, Canada, the United States and the Gulf. The migration is largely post-1960s labour recruitment, much of it from the RIF and the Souss specifically rather than from Morocco generally, which is why particular regional kitchens travelled and others did not. ⚠ AND THE SEPARATE MOVEMENT THAT MUST NOT BE MERGED WITH IT: the Jewish Moroccan emigration to ISRAEL, FRANCE and CANADA between the 1950s and 1970s, which is a different population, a different period and a different cuisine — Moroccan food is now a major strand of Israeli cooking, and Mimouna is a public occasion there. Remittances are a significant share of the Moroccan economy, and the summer return of the diaspora is itself a documented food event in the north.

Atlas — where and when

Communities and languages

  • Moroccans abroad community documented
  • Moroccan Jews community documented

Languages: Moroccan Arabic, Tarifit, Tachelhit, Judeo-Moroccan Arabic

What is recorded

  • Moroccan emigration to France, Spain, Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands is documented as largely post-1960s labour recruitment drawn disproportionately from the Rif and the Souss rather than from Morocco generally, which is recorded as why particular regional kitchens travelled. The Jewish Moroccan emigration to Israel, France and Canada between the 1950s and 1970s is recorded as a separate population, period and cuisine, not merged with the labour migration; Moroccan food is a major strand of Israeli cooking and Mimouna is a public occasion there. documented

Related foodways

This foodway relates to

  • migrated to French documented

    Largely post-1960s labour recruitment, much of it from the Rif and the Souss specifically rather than from Morocco generally.

  • related to Jewish Moroccan Foodways documented

    ⚠ A SEPARATE MOVEMENT that must not be merged with the labour migration: a different population, period and cuisine.

Recipes

No recipes are filed under this cuisine yet.