North Catalonia, Northern Catalonia or French Catalonia: Catalan presence in France

September 2023. Oriol and I are flying to Toulouse for a road trip in Occitania and (French) Catalonia. We include the Principality of Andorra, which I can finally tick off the bucket list, and Llívia, Spain‘s exclave in France. Besides Toulouse we visit Mont-Louis, Villefranche-de-Conflent, Perpignan and Carcassonne.

Spending two days in the département des Pyrénées-Orientales or the department of the Eastern Pyrenees, I was surprised by the predominance of Catalan identity signs. For starters, I often read signs saying Pyrénées Catalanes or Catalan Pyrenees instead of the Pyrénées-Orientales.

Obviously I al acquainted with Catalan feelings and and ambition for autonomy and / or independence in Spain, but I wasn’t aware historically Catalonia was also in present-day France.

Prior to the Treaty of the Pyrenees in 1659, most of the present department was part of the former Principality of Catalonia, within the Crown of Aragon, therefore part of the Kingdom of Spain, so the majority of it has historically been Catalan-speaking, and it is still referred to as Northern Catalonia.

Northern Catalonia

“Northern Catalonia, North Catalonia, French Catalonia or Roussillon refers to the Catalan-speaking and Catalan-culture territory ceded to France by Spain through the signing of the Treaty of the Pyrenees in 1659 in exchange of France’s effective renunciation on the formal protection that it had given to the recently founded Catalan Republic“, Wikipedia describes the area.

The equivalent term in French, Catalogne nord (Catalunya Nord in Catalan) or Catalogne du Nord (Catalunya del Nord), is used nowadays, although less often than the more politically neutral Roussillon (Rosselló).

But Roussillon, though, historically did not comprise Vallespir, Conflent and Cerdagne (Cerdanya). The terms Pays Catalan (País Català) or Catalan Country are sometimes used.

The Government of Catalonia or Generalitat de Catalunya, in Spain, often uses Catalunya nord to describe the area. Likewise, in Catalunya nord, Catalogne sud is sometimes used to describe Catalonia in Spain.

Flags

In Northern Catalonia, I saw many Catalan flags. Conveniently the Senyara – meaning ‘pennon, ‘standard, ‘banner’, ‘ensign’, or, more generically, ‘flag’ in Catalan – is the flag of many things and not only an activism flag.

The senyera pattern is currently in the flag of four Spanish autonomous communities (Aragon, Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, and the Valencian Community), and is the flag of the historically Catalan-speaking city of Alghero (Catalan: L’Alguer) in Sardinia (Italy).

It is also used on the coat of arms of Spain, the coat of arms of Pyrénées-Orientales and of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, the flag of Roussillon, Capcir, Vallespir, and Provence in France, one quarter of the coat of arms of Andorra, and on the local flags of many municipalities belonging to these territories.

The Senyera is also used informally in Catalonia to represent the Catalan language.

By the way, while the red bars are horizontal on the flag, they’re vertical on the coat of arms.

Bloody fingers

According to a 14th-century legend, the flag dates back from the 9th century, when the four red bars were drawn, as an act of gratitude, on the golden shield of Wilfred I the Hairy, Count of Barcelona by king Charles the Bald‘s fingers drenched with blood from the Count’s war wounds prior to Wilfred’s death in 897 during the siege of Barcelona by Lobo ibn Mohammed, the Moorish governor of Lleida. However, Charles the Bald had died 20 years earlier, in 877.

Cream, get on top

Pyréenées-Orientales or Roussillon may sound more neutral, in the area they don’t care. Catalogne is everywhere. Crème brûlée is replaced by crema catalana. Similar but not identical desserts.

They share some similarities, but there are also some key differences between the two.

Crème brûléeoriginated in France, and its name means “burnt cream” in French. It is associated with French cuisine and is popular worldwide. Crema catalana is a Catalan dessert that originated in Catalonia. It is considered one of the most iconic desserts of Catalan cuisine.

The custard base of crème brûlée typically consists of heavy cream, egg yolks, sugar, and sometimes vanilla extract. The mixture is baked in a water bath until it sets.

Crema Catalana also has a custard base made with milk, egg yolks, sugar, and sometimes cornstarch. It is flavored with citrus zest (typically lemon or orange) and cinnamon. Unlike crème brûlée, crema catalana is typically thickened on the stovetop, not baked in the oven.

The primary flavor in crème brûlée comes from the vanilla used in the custard base. Crema catalana, on the other hand, has a distinct citrus and cinnamon flavor, which gives it a unique taste compared to crème brûlée.

After baking, crème brûlée is typically served in individual ramekins, and the top is caramelized to create a thin, crisp layer of burnt sugar using a culinary torch or broiler.

Crema catalana is traditionally served in shallow dishes, and it is also caramelized on top using a hot iron or a blowtorch, but the caramel layer is usually thinner and more delicate compared to crème brûlée.

Estelada

Besides the official, neutral flag for Catalonia and its uhm siblings, there is the Estelada or ‘starred flag’. The most famous version is the one with a blue triangle and white star, originated from 1918. But a purely yellow and red versiin was designed in 1972. The blue and white were inspired by the flags of Cuba, the Philippines and Puerto Rico.

The yellow and red version has a more leftists meaning, with the red star reffering to communism. Wikipedia tells us both version are now used interchangeably.

Pyramids and St. George

Thé Catalan holiday par excellence is Diada de Sant Jordi or St. George’s Day on the 23rd of April. Men get a book, women a rose. Human pyramids are formed. Also in Perpignan. The city does not hide its “catalaness”.

Researching this, I found several media sources from 2017, when the referendum was on.

If you found this post too geeky or too political, I am not sorry.

Trip By Trip