Editor’s Note: Vérane Frédiani is a filmmaker, journalist, food lover, and feminist from Marseille. She is the author of several documentary films, including The Goddesses of Food, Steak (R)evolution, and Reinventing Mirazur, and several books, including Cheffes and Elles Cuisinent.
Born and raised in Marseille and currently based in London, Vérane wrote and photographed Marseille Cuisine le Monde to celebrate her hometown’s diverse cuisine – and how it is a gateway into understanding this singular city. Translated by Culinary Backstreet’s own Alexis Steinman, Taste the World in Marseille is the only English-language book about Marseille food written by les Marseillais. You can follow Vérane on Instagram @veranefrediani.
Couscous and pizza are two of our city’s most popular dishes, born from the city’s North African and Italian communities, respectively. So, when I return to Marseille, my first stop is La Femina in Noailles for their iconic barley couscous. And to see the ever-smiling owner, Mustapha Kachetel, who has become a friend.
Open for over 100 years, this colorful Algerian restaurant is named after the grandmothers, mothers, and women from which their recipes come. The house specialty is couscous d’orge, barley couscous flavored with fermented butter, smen, and topped with a sauce of chickpeas, vegetables, and their special blend of beans. Their secret is that they simmer the sauce for a long time for all the flavors to blend together. Besides being incredibly delicious, the barley is easier to digest, unlike how traditional semolina couscous grows in your belly after you eat it. So, you’ll still be able to walk around the city after your lunch!
La Femina is not just about the food. Mustapha really embodies the Marseille spirit: generous, proud, and unpretentious. He’s the unofficial “godfather” of Noailles, always welcoming new businesses and supporting the neighborhood. That’s why the restaurant is often filled with his friends. Tourists go there…but it is not a touristic place.
If I don’t have time to eat and chat with Mustapha, I order the couscous to go. One portion is enough for two…and I like to eat a lot!
One thing to note: [The cuisine of] La Femina is Kabyle, a Berber culture that differs from Arab Algerians. The Kabyle region is mountainous, as you can see from the mural painted on one of the walls in the dining room. I’m dreaming of going with Mustapha to Kabylie [the homeland of the Kabyle people] one day. In the meantime, I’m happy to taste his homeland in Marseille.
Published by Éditions de la Martinière, Taste the World in Marseille is available worldwide via Amazon and independent bookshops like Book Larder in Seattle and Omnivore in SF.
January 2, 2025 Libala/Kin (0)
When it comes to cultural identity, France carries the flag for universalism. This ideal […] Posted in Marseille
October 8, 2024 Raviolis et Pates Fraiches: Dreamy Arancini (0)
Over many epochs, Marseille has experienced waves of immigration and is considered to be […] Posted in Marseille
June 20, 2024 L’Après M: Fast Social Food (0)
At a booth bathed in the winter sun, a group of coworkers happily munch burgers and […] Posted in Marseille
Published on September 18, 2024
Related stories
Libala/Kin: Where France Meets Congo
Raviolis et Pates Fraiches: Dreamy Arancini
