For a plate of couscous. Food narratives, in-between spaces and ethnic identities in the Italian colony of Libya

Although Libya had been a colonial possession since 1911, the Italian government did not begin a formal policy of settlement until the late 1920s and early 1930s. Thousands of Italians moved to the Fourth shore to be employed in various occupations and professions. This led to the Italian community becoming the second largest ethnic group in a colony where the diverse overwhelmingly Muslim local population also included a minority Jewish population as well as smaller Greek and Maltese communities. Food and its related activities provide a lens through which to help understand the intricate story of Italians who lived in colonial Libya. For many of them this represented a difficult land but full of new flavours, some lived in humble, conditions and ate the street food familiar to locals of a similar social class; while others experienced an exotic land, something of an El Dorado, like the many tourists who enjoyed high quality Italian dishes prepared by hotel chefs or as part of opulent picnics. This study aims to highlight from this specific point of view the lifestyle of the composite microcosm of Italians living in Libya during the inter-war period.