Marseille, France (Project Help)?

Question

I'm writing a short story that is set in Marseille, France in the 1940s during WWII.

What kind of fish did they sell at the Old Port?

How much did fish cost back then? (they pay in Euros right?)

What kinds of birds were frequent near the Port?

What did they eat? Did people ever feed them?

When Marseille got bombed where did the people go?

Thanks alot!

Answer 1

Hi there,

I come from this region. I don't know if it can helps you, but my grand mother often told me stories about the war. During the hardest times, they would even eat rats and pigeons cause they had absolutely nothing to eat, they were deprived a lot, especially people coming from a very law social background.

About the birds, it's like everywhere else, there are heaps of cigals ( well i think cigals is the right word to translate the word " mouette " in french.. ) You know, these white birds... I reckon people didn't feed them so much because they were poor and wanted to keep the little food they had for their families. Cigals usually dive and get some little fish, they're really good fishers, lol

And about the fish, i reckon the most popular fish would be the "sardine" ( sardine, pilchards, or herrings )

I'm not sure they would cook bouillabaisse at that time, because of the poor condition of the people and the fact that they were in the middle of the war. Maybe right before, or right after, but i've got some doubts about the period during the ward...

When Marseille was bombed, ive got no idea where people went, but i would say probably in the countryside to avoid bombings though the countryside also suffered from the war. They may have also hidden in the bush ( the  " maquis" ).

I think you should check on the internet, you may find historical information about WW in the mediterranean coast

Good luck with your short story!

Oh, and by the way the currency at that time was still the Franc ( 1 franc, 10 francs , 10 frs ) The Euro was introduced officially the 1st of January, 2002? Hmm, yeah, 2002 i guess ( d**n, time goes by so quickly, i thought it was in 2001) .  I can't tell you exactly about the currency rate at that time because of the war situation, but i guess it lost about 2/3 of its value. Also, they did new coins during the war, with the " work, family and nation " values written on it, instead of the traditional " liberty, equalty, and brotherhood " These came back in 1944.

Answer 2

Well, the types of fish in a good bouillabiase are what you'd expect them to be selling at dockside. Conger eel, grondin, rascasse, roucou, chapon come to mind.

Prices are very difficult to figure. The currency at the time was the Franc (not the euro) and it varied considerably in value during the war years. I do know at the time of Liberation a rapid inflation began which saw prices like 10 Francs for a single egg.

During World War II, Marseille was bombed by the German and the Italian forces in 1940 but only briefly. People probably just went into their basements.