Sellou: Algeria accused of appropriating a Moroccan classic

It all started with the presentation by Sherazade Laoudedj, an Algerian chef, to the entire Maghreb of Sellou, to be part of the range of the Oriental and Maghrebi stand of the Galeries Lafayette in Rosny 2 in the Paris region. A presentation for which she faced criticism from Moroccan Internet users, who mentioned the exclusive Moroccan ownership of the dish, according to TSA.

The flood of criticism against the Algerian woman prompted the Galeries Lafayette management to close the entire space reserved for the Maghreb.

Addressing the Moroccans, Sherazade Laoudedj laments: "It was a nice initiative at the base that could have brought together, made a nice space and promoted the two cultures. You managed to destroy everything." She will add: "I’m mad at you, because unfortunately, we’ve come to this, to be threatened, to be treated as people who have no culture, who have no cuisine, by ignoramuses. [...] I knew it was serious but not to that extent. Do you have a monstrous void to the point of doing this?"

Sherazade says she understands the decision of the Galeries Lafayette management, because "so much harassment on the phone cannot be sustainable." She will add: "I don’t think they held this event to be bothered in this way." According to her explanations, if she presented the Sellou, it’s because she was going on a shoot in Algeria and didn’t have time to "prepare something more elaborate." Otherwise, she had "so many noble products" "I decided to do a simple thing on the stand until I got back," she says.

Sellou is roasted flour with dried fruits, a very nutritious but high-calorie preparation, especially made for pregnant women. "We put a lot of good things in it, but we don’t promote it," laments the Algerian chef.