Petit Maghreb: A slice of North Africa in Montreal

[Al-khiyal]

A slice of North Africa

Montreal, September 30, 2008 -- At first glance, it doesn't look like much. Weeds grow knee-high through cracks in the cement. The street is lined with an odd combination of aging low-rise apartments, computer repair shops and pizza-by-the-slice joints.

But look again. And listen. The strains of Moroccan music waft from a restaurant with stained glass lanterns hanging from the ceiling. A block away, Algerian men sipping mint tea and smoking the shisha are ensconced at a sidewalk café. The women pushing baby strollers along the sidewalk wear hijabs.

Welcome to Petit Maghreb, the North African strip that has grown out of an otherwise non-descript stretch of Jean Talon Blvd. E., between St. Michel and Pie IX Blvds. The neighbourhood is still inhabited by Italians, Latinos and Haitians, but over the past few years it has taken on a decidedly North African flavour, as Montreal's Algerian, Moroccan and Tunisian communities have grown, their numbers bolstered by new immigrants from the Maghreb, that region of North Africa nestled between the Atlas Mountains and the Mediterranean Sea.

Petit Maghreb was born in the late 1990s, when the Dar Al-Arkam Mosque opened at the corner of 17th Ave. Then an Algerian pastry shop opened. At first, there were only a few fast-food joints selling grilled meats and a café or two where men would congregate after Friday afternoon prayers to watch soccer or news from back home on wide- screen televisions.

Now though, the street boasts several bakeries featuring the delectable sweets of Algeria, a Moroccan restaurant that specializes in tagines and couscous and a women's clothing boutique whose window displays elaborately beaded and embroidered silk and satin caftans and hijabs. The local business association is negotiating with the borough of St. Michel to get official status as Petit Magreb, along with banners, signs and Moorish-style arches at either end of the strip.

"This is our village. It's where people come to find the flavours of home, to hear Arabic spoken, or maybe help finding a job or a new apartment," explains Algerian-born Abdel Alachaher, owner of Marché Cordoba.

For the homesick looking for comfort foods from the motherland, a smattering of grocery stores stock halal meat, olive oils, spices, nuts, dried fruits and couscous and semolina by the shelf-full. The best time to go is Friday, Saturday or Sunday when the bakery counters are full and the street comes alive with North African families out for a weekend taste of home. And during the month of Ramadan, which ended this week, the street was even busier. Observant Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset during this holy month. But after evening prayers, they break their fast with lavish family meals and much visiting and socializing. Many stores and restaurants stayed open till midnight or later, especially on weekends.

For a little foray into North Africa, take the métro to the St. Michel stop or drive along the Metropolitan Expressway and exit at St. Michel, then head south to Jean Talon and park the car. Start at St. Michel, then saunter a few blocks east to Pie IX Blvd.

1. Marché Assaka. 3270 Jean Talon Blvd. E. 514-374-1113

Just for the fun of it, stop in at Assaka, a meticulously kept and well-stocked Moroccan grocery store where co-owner Mohammed Khadir has a recipe to impart for every item in your basket. Stock up on fruit juices and soft drinks with Arabic labels and names like Mecca Cola or Hamoud, the tangy Algerian equivalent to 7 Up.

Assaka also has everything you need for preparing traditional Moroccan mint tea at home, including ornate gold-etched little glasses, green teas from around the world, sugar cubes and and even fresh mint flown in from Morocco once a week.

For dinner, pick up the home-made merguez lamb sausages , a container of harissa, the thick, hot red pepper paste, to go with them and an assortment of olives. This is also a great place to stock up on dried herbs and spices, which Khadir orders in small quantities to ensure freshness.

2. Restaurant Walima. 3550 Jean Talon Blvd. E. (corner 15th Ave.) 514-593-8681

This sunny Moroccan restaurant with its bright orange walls and Moroccan lanterns and woven wall hangings is nothing fancy. But it serves generous plates of couscous and tajines of lamb or chicken and olives and grilled merguez. The harira soup is a velvety purée of tomatoes, lentil and chickpea, spiced with cumin, ginger and thyme. The owners are Muslim, so there's no alcohol served. Instead, customers sip mint tea poured from silver tea pots .

3. Boulanger du Grand Maghreb. 3567 Jean Talon Blvd. E. 514-376-4996

The smell alone will pull you in. Inside, it's hot and the fan squeaks noisily. The shelves are stacked with baguettes and buns and stacks of flatbreads. A baker in a crisp white apron crosses the street with a tray full of chocolate-dipped cookies, made at the bakery's other ovens across the street. The pieces de resistances are the lamona brioches, fat round buns flavored with lemon and vanilla. On the run, grab a monchon, a flaky turnover filled with chicken and cheese or shrimp. or an onion-and tomato stuffed crescent shaped koca.

4. Poissonerie Jean Talon. 3562 Jean Talon Blvd. E. 514-721-9948

This 40-year-old fish market is a throwback to when Jean Talon E. was still an Italian neighbourhood. Husband and wife owners Fabio Venturini and Nadia Meli specialize in cod and salted herring from the Gaspé and in fish and seafood from the Mediterranean. On a recent Tuesday, customers were abuzz over a rare shipment of tiny eel-like pisket fish, also known as rosa marina. Sicilians dredge them in flour, salt and pepper, before deep-frying. Every week there's clam chowder, seafood pie, stuffed fish fillets or coquilles Saint-Jacques, all of them made by hand by the thousands in the poissonerie kitchen and sold frozen.

5. Marché Cordoba. 3600 Jean Talon Blvd. E. (corner 16th Ave.) 514-722-5777

Owner Alachaher hangs the Algerian flag prominently in his small corner grocery store, filled with products imported from his native Algeria. There's a halal meat counter too, with fresh meat and sausage prepared according to strict Muslim dietary rules. Cordoba also stocks an enticing selection of dates and nuts, jams and juices.

6. Patisserie Les Trésors Sucrés. 3646 Jean Talon Blvd. E. 514 223-2174

From this tiny little jewel of a bakery, Malika Messaouli-Oussaid bakes the most delectable cakes and cookies this side of Algiers, using recipes handed down to her by her mother, with the help of three other Algerian-born bakers, all of them women. Each bite is a nut-and-sugar dream come true. Try the whimsical cravattes that look like bow ties and taste of orange blossom water and almonds, crunchy on the outside and creamy inside. Or the cornets, stuffed with rich pistachio filling. There are delicate wreath-like couronnes glacées, with their shiny white icing. And, of coure, the quintessential Algerian pastry, the Algeroise, a round nugget that looks like a dumpling and is named after the pleated pantaloons worn by Algerian women in olden times.

7. Patisserie La Table Fleurie d'Algerie. 3704 Jean Talon Blvd. E. 514-593-1999

Toufik Merazi's bakery is a more upscale spot, with its bevelled mirrors and tiled walls specializing in Algerian and French pastries and savories. His was one of the first North African businesses to open on the street, back in 2001 and now his customers come from all over the city and as far away as Boston, New York and Los Angeles.

The glass counters are lined with 30 to 40 different sweets, including baklawa and mchouek.

"Algerians take their pastry very seriously. It's a long and proud tradition. When we visit, we come bearing cakes," says Merazi as we sit to talk over mint tea and a plate of sugar-dusted sweets. "A Québécois might come in to buy two or three little pastries, but an Algerian will take away 10 of each."

[Al-khiyal]

Premier souk du Petit Maghreb à Montréal

Lundi 20 octobre 2008 -- Le premier souk dans la ville de Montréal a ouvert ses portes samedi dernier au grand bonheur de la communauté algérienne basée à Québec. Situé sur la rue Jean-Talon, ce carrefour culturel est le fruit de l’Association du Petit Maghreb, une organisation très active fondée en mai 2007. Devenu lieu d’échanges et de rencontres des cultures, la rue Jean-Talon sera fermée à la circulation entre la rue Shelly et la 15e-Avenue pour l’occasion. Les activités seront marquées de spectacles musicaux avec les chants et rythmes du Maghreb, des expositions de peinture, l’artisanat, l’info-tourisme, les activités pour enfants et tours de magie des Magiciens sans frontières. Le Petit Maghreb espère attirer plus de 4 000 visiteurs pendant cette journée.

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Le Petit Maghreb

July 8, 2009 -- Little Italy and Chinatown are getting a new sibling — and since it’s just a few blocks, maybe Louise Harel won’t mind. Le Petit Maghreb is now more than just a casual moniker for a certain part of the city: it’s an official part of Montreal’s commercial destination network, and an unofficial but growing tourism draw.

The area in the Villeray-Saint-Michel-Parc-Extension borough has received $40,000 from the city of Montreal’s Programme réussir à Montréal (PR@M Commerce) recognizing the efforts of the local Maghreb business association for revitalization of Jean-Talon Street between Saint-Michel and Pie-IX boulevards. “Thanks to this support, local businesspeople finally have the means to create an official new district in Montreal,” said a clearly delighted borough mayor Anie Samson. “It’s excellent news for the Maghreb community, as well as the growing attraction of our borough and Montreal.”

The local Maghreb community hails mostly from North Africa, particularly Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. Over the years, this important stretch of Jean-Talon has become a gathering place for Montreal’s Maghreb community — estimated at about 150,000 people. The funds will be used to develop a master plan to mobilize businesses, reach targeted communities, and carry out an economic and physical strategy to define a public image for the sector. About half of the 105 area businesses are related to Maghreb culture in bakeries, butchers, Arab pastry shops, restaurants and tearooms, along with hairdressing salons and travel agencies.

Malik Hadid is also happy that after three years of work the designation will become official. “I am very happy that the Association can count on the support of PR@M Commerce,” said the travel agency owner and local association president. He was quick to add that the Maghreb association also enjoys close cooperation with the borough, the local economic development agency and Station 30 police.

The city’s PR@M program is already at work in other neighbourhoods around the island, helping spruce up commercial districts and adding appeal to important arteries using architecture, infrastructure and marketing, and helping boost investment by matching funds of local investors. Other east-end streets selected for the program include Promenade Fleury, Jean-Talon St. in Saint-Leonard, and Charleroi in Montreal-Nord.

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Unique en Amérique du Nord et dans le monde :
Montréal aura son quartier maghrébin

Mercredi 15 Juillet 2009 -- La destination Montréal va s’enrichir, dans un futur pas très éloigné, d’une nouvelle attraction touristique qui aura pour nom le quartier du « petit Maghreb », à l’image de Chinatown ou de la Petite Italie. Que ce soit pour manger un couscous, acheter des produits de l’artisanat maghrébin, visiter une galerie d’art ou même regarder un match de soccer (football en vocabulaire local) dans une ambiance digne des cafés algériens, marocains ou tunisiens, une destination s’imposera : le petit Maghreb. Ce qui a été le rêve de Nacer Boudi, un commerçant d’origine algérienne sur la rue Jean Talon, vient d’être reconnu officiellement par la ville de Montréal. Dans le cadre d’un programme de développement des artères commerciales de Montréal, 40 000 dollars ont été mis à la disposition de l’association « le petit Maghreb » pour financer l’étude nécessaire à la réalisation de ce projet. « Cette étude permettra, entre autres, de définir les commerces complémentaires nécessaires pour favoriser le caractère maghrébin de cette portion de rue », a déclaré la mairesse de l’arrondissement lors d’une entrevue avec El Watan. Bien que le quartier soit multiethnique – il compte 150 000 habitants originaires de 130 pays – les commerces maghrébins représentent 80% des magasins du quartier. « L’artère commerciale est maghrébine mais les Maghrébins ne vivent pas exclusivement dans ce quartier », affirme Malik Hadid. La prochaine étape, à laquelle la ville consacrera plus d’argent, touchera le design du quartier. La ville va financer une partie des travaux qui pourrait atteindre 50% des coûts de relookage des devantures des magasins. Il est clair que ceci prendra un peu de temps. « Chinatown a pris 20 ans pour se concrétiser », rappelle Nacer Boudi, à l’origine de l’idée du petit Maghreb. À noter que le département de géographie de l’université du Québec à Montréal a lancé une étude sur « les pratiques et représentations socio-spatiales des Maghrébins » du quartier du petit Maghreb. Beaucoup de sceptiques n’y croyaient pas en 2005, lorsqu’en pleine campagne électorale municipale, Nacer Boudi a « poussé » la candidate de l’arrondissement Saint Michel, Anie Samson, lors d’une émission radio, à promettre pour les Maghrébins la création du petit Maghreb. Depuis, elle est devenue mairesse et le petit Maghreb a été créé. Anie Samson, qu’on voit souvent dans les cafés maures de Montréal, est candidate pour les élections municipales de novembre prochain ! Bien qu’à Montréal, il se crée périodiquement de nouvelles associations de Maghrébins, celle du petit Maghreb semble avoir tout pour durer.

[Al-khiyal]

[Al-khiyal]

Montréal :
Le quartier du Petit Maghreb tient son deuxième souk

Mercredi 30 Septembre 2009 -- Les commerçants du quartier maghrébin de Montréal, Le Petit Maghreb, ont tenu samedi leur deuxième souk le long de la rue Jean Talon entre la 12ème et la 13ème avenue. De nombreuses familles se sont déplacées avec leurs enfants pour assister à la fête et danser aux rythmes de la musique maghrébine et aux spectacles de magie de Magiciens sans frontières. Des kiosques ont permis aux présents d’apprécier l’art et l’artisanat de ces pays. Une vidéo de l’événement est disponible sur le site www.blednet.com. Avec l’approche des élections municipales qui auront lieu le 1er novembre, plusieurs candidats étaient présents. Aucun n’est d’origine maghrébine. Le petit Maghreb est géré par une association de commerçants originaires du Maghreb. Il a été reconnu officiellement par la ville de Montréal cette année. À noter qu’un collectif d’associations amazighes a lancé un appel pour que son appellation soit Le Quartier Nord Africain.

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Deux études finalisées pour Le petit Maghreb de Montréal

Mercredi 14 Juillet 2010 -- L’association Le petit Maghreb, à l’origine du quartier montréalais du même nom, a présenté dimanche dernier les résultats de deux études réalisées dans le cadre d’un programme financé par la ville de Montréal pour valoriser ce quartier aux couleurs de l’Afrique du Nord. Un quartier rendu encore plus visible par la participation algérienne au mondial sud-africain. Selon les conclusions de cette étude, il est recommandé de d’utiliser « les motifs géométriques issue de la culture arabo-musulmane (arabesques) comme trait d’union des différents espaces comme les vitrines, les marquages des passages piétons et les stationnement de voitures et les auvents ». Une subvention pouvant atteindre 33% du coût des travaux pour un maximum de 33 000 dollars pour est accordée par la ville aux commerçants qui seront intéressés à effectuer des travaux de revalorisation de leur façade. À cette occasion Nacer Boudi, président par intérim de l’association, a présenté la nouvelle équipe issue du vote de dimanche et présidée par Hamou Becherigui, propriétaire du Café Safir au cœur du Petit Maghreb.