The pastaga

...true or well invented?

It must be a sad experience to see the world only through barred windows because of a crime—especially in France.

French prisons are generally considered very harsh correctional institutions and are always overcrowded. Marseille’s Les Baumettes is regarded as one of the worst prisons in the country.

Les Baumettes – The Dark Years

Although its construction was completed in 1938, Les Baumettes was not officially recognized as a prison until 1946. “There was a war in between, the dark time,” explains Pierre Raffin, director of prison administration for southeastern France.

At the time, the district, still surrounded by rural landscapes at the gates of the Calanques, was long considered a “place of exclusion.”

“This was where Indochinese people, brought in to contribute to the war effort, were housed, as well as Jews returning from the camps, Roma, and Harkis. The buildings themselves were used as stables for the military’s horses.”

In 1942, residents of the Vieux-Port were rounded up by French police and the German army, and their neighborhood was razed to the ground. Some were temporarily imprisoned in Les Baumettes. “We don’t know how many, as there were no prisoner records,” explains Pierre Raffin.

“Les Baumettes was also used as a holding center for Jews and resistance fighters destined for deportation.” After the liberation of France in 1944, 6,500 German soldiers were placed in the cells.

After World War II, former collaborators were replaced by mafia bandits. This was the time of the Guérini brothers—Antoine and his brother Barthélémy, known as “Mémé.” Between 1965 and 1968, the French Connection took over, with all of its key players imprisoned in Les Baumettes.

This global drug network strained relations between France and the U.S., where the heroin produced in Marseille was being sold. The biggest gangster of that time was Nick Venturini.

In prison, these crime bosses tried to gain privileges. For the guards, “it wasn’t easy to deal with this crowd,” who were later blamed for the assassination of Judge Michel in 1981.

Other major Marseille gangsters, such as Jacky Imbert (Le Mat), Francis “the Belgian,” and Gaétan Zampa—who was found hanged in his cell in 1984—also served time in Les Baumettes.

It is no surprise, then, that the local saying goes: “Better to be dead than locked up in Marseille.”

What Did the Prisoner Dream Of?

Of course, of the joys of freedom, of women, and of everything that his imagination could conjure. But a true Frenchman—or rather, a true southern Frenchman—missed one thing above all: his customary aperitif, pastis.

In Marseille’s underworld circles, it is also known as pastaga.

Jules, a worker and occasional petty criminal from the outskirts of Marseille, had to serve a few months in Les Baumettes for a minor offense. Day after day, he thought about how he would organize his life after release. He dreamed of his beloved pastis, which he missed dearly. But how could he get his apéritif in prison? Bribery was an option, but he lacked both money and connections.

One night, he had a brilliant idea. When his faithful wife, Juliette, visited him for the first time, he whispered his plan to her. She nodded and promised to take care of it.

“Take care of yourself and don’t do anything stupid,” she said before heading home.

There was always something to do in her modest house on the outskirts of town. The small garden needed tending, two rabbits had to be fed, and she worked part-time as a bakery saleswoman.

In her wardrobe, she found some diapers from her now-grown children. They were clean, absorbent, and skin-friendly—perfect for her plan.

She filled a tub with Ricard, Jules’ favorite anise-flavored drink, and let the diapers soak it up. Then, she hung them out to dry on the clothesline next to her underwear. The neighbors wondered about the intense anise scent in the air, but since Juliette was known for her healthy lifestyle, no one asked questions. Once dry, she neatly folded the diapers, packed them into a box, and mailed them to Jules’ prison address.

In prison, every day was the same. Wake up, morning tea with stale coffee, work in the laundry, occasional scuffles with Algerian and other Muslim inmates, some small talk in the dining hall—then back to work.

One morning, Jules heard the iron key turning in the lock. The heavy door opened, and prison guard Bernard entered.

Bernard was one of the few understanding officers, encouraging prisoners to lead better lives and avoiding brutality.

Jules, whose hair had grown long, appreciated his visits—Bernard always had stories to tell. Today, he held out a diaper to Jules.

“You know, we had to open the package for security reasons,” Bernard said.

Jules caught a faint whiff of anise and convincingly explained that Juliette added star anise to the laundry detergent.

“Ah, women,” Bernard chuckled. “Well, now you can freshen up a bit.”

The next day, Bernard was puzzled when he saw Jules wringing out a damp cloth and collecting the liquid. “This is an old Occitan trick. In prison, there’s always a risk of catching scabies,” Jules explained innocently.

Finally, alone in his cell, he poured the extracted liquid into his toothbrush cup, took a good sip, and let the prison pastis slide down his throat

He thought of Juliette and their soon-to-be reunion, imagining themselves enjoying a real pastis together on the beach in Cassis. Never again, he swore to himself, would he be foolish enough to get locked up in Les Baumettes.

Bernard was right: it wasn’t worth getting into trouble with the law.

With the other three diapers, he would have three more Ricard drinks—one glass per week.

But was this method used, or had Jules only dreamed it?

© for the section "the dark years" only is with G.. Bézie AFP

Published 22/09/2021 and translated.