Spain
A Culinary
Crossroads
Spain as long been a crossroad of cultures. At times invaded, at times the invader, she has been the centre of a world empire and ignored by the rest of the world.
Part of the Roman Empire at one time, the food styles of the empire became their own. The Romans, as the Greeks before them, either introduced or encouraged the growing of olives for oil and fruit, and grapes for wine. The use of yeast bread was encouraged in the larger towns, and a taste for exotic spices was developed. With being on a peninsula, fish and seafood were probably always present, but during Roman times there would have been Liquamen or Garum to flavour a large number of dishes. (Liquamen is the fermented fish sauce that in Roman times was one of the most common ingredients in recipes.)
The Visigoth and other Germanic tribes do not seem to have changed the cuisine of the Spanish peninsula much as they entered the area. They seemed to have been more interested in consolidating the areas under their control and fighting each other versus assimilating others to their culture. But the Arabs were another story.
Al-Andalus started as a colony of the Omayyad empire ruled from Damascus in the early 8th century. After the coup that overthrew the Omayyads, the last of the family came to Spain and ruled directly from there. Wherever the Arabs conquered they introduced their culture, including their favourite foods. A love of good living and food was encouraged in the highest circles as well as at court. Other than the new world foods that were introduced in the 16th century, the Arab conquest was the biggest factor in cuisine of the entire Mediterranean basin. The Arabs brought with them Sugar, Almonds, and Rice. Eggplant, Melon, Apricot, Cucumbers, Lemons and Oranges were also some of there contributions to the food stuff of the region.
The Arabs also brought there love of the mixture of sweet and savoury in the same dish, fruit mixed with meats. Such as Tuffâhiyya - Apple Stew with Eggplant, see recipes. Almonds and other nuts were used to thicken dishes. Quince and Pomegranates were added to many dishes. Sugar and almonds were combined for assortment of pastries. The fritters of the middle east were taken to heart by the Spanish and used in many ways. The Meze, appetiser course of the middle east, became the Tapas of Spain, that can be a full meal by itself.
During the period of Andalusia, the Spain was a melting-pot of cultures. Islamic law was followed but individuals were free to practice their own religion. The Jewish population was large and diverse. The Christians were not forced to convert. Encouraged, yes, but not forced. Food styles blended all of the cultures together. Some of this can be still seen in the Sephardim recipes today.
The next major influence on the food styles of Spain would be the New World. With the discovery of the Western hemisphere in 1492 new vistas in food opened up. Columbus went looking for spices and he found some. Chile peppers and allspice were found in the Caribbean islands. So were sweet potatoes, in fact, Columbus discussed having them cooked in Almond milk in one of his journals. Columbus was also introduced to Maize on the same voyage. As others explorers expanded Spainish influence, other foods were found and sent back home. Haricot beans in 1528, Pumpkin in 1550. The White potato was discovered by them in 1570 and was being grown in Spain in 1573. The Tomato was being grown as a novelty in Venice in 1544, although it was not know to have been eaten then. Turkey fowls were known in Europe in 1570.
So far we have talked about the worlds influence on Spanish foods, what about Spain’s influence on the rest of the world? Even during the time of Arab control, Spain was not cut off from the rest of Europe. Pilgrimages to religious sites, as well as trade brought many to the country. Scholars travelled to Cordoba and Seville to study with Jewish doctors and scholars.
There were many contacts between Spain and Italy in the 15th and 16th century. Catalan, north-eastern Spain, was in control of Sicily in the 13th century, as well as Naples in the 15th century. Which is why the New World foods seemed to have been accepted earlier in Italy than in most of the other countries in Europe. During the 16th century the Hapsburg dynasty was ruling Spain, as well as Germany and the Netherlands, which led to the dissemination of the New World foods more quickly than would have been without Spain’s influence.
Some of the New World foods were accepted before others. Haricot beans were accepted very easily, most likely because of the fact that most beans look and grow very similarly. Chile peppers were also accepted easily due to the search for new spices. Maize was widely grown in the Mediterranean area within 50 years of it’s introduction to Europe, due to its quick growth rate. The potato and tomato took longer to be accepted mainly due to the fact that they are related to Belladonna, which is poisonous.
We have a few recipes books from Al-Andalusian. Duke Cariadoc has been nice enough to translate as well as convert into a modern recipes some of these recipes. They can be found in his Miscellany, as well as in his A Collection of Medieval and Renaissance Cookbooks. There are two Catalan cookbooks from period. The first one is Libre de Sent Sovi, dating form the 14th century. And Libre del Coch, from the 15th century. Recipes from both can be found in Barbara Santich’s The Original Mediterranean Cuisine.
Sources
History of Food, Maguelonne Toussaint-Samat, 1987/1992, ISBN 0-631-17741-8
Food In History, Reay Tannahill, 1973, ISBN 0-8128-1437-1
Why We Eat, What We Eat, Raymond Sokolov, 1991, ISBN 0-671-66796-3
The Rise and Fall of Paradise, Elmer Bendiner, 1983, ISBN 0-88029-466-3
The Fruit, Herbs and Vegetables of Italy, Giacomo Castelvetro, 1989, ISBN 0-670-82724X
The Original Mediterranean Cuisine, Barbara Santich, 1995, ISBN 1-55652-272-X
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
Dinah bint Ismai’l
Dinah Tackett
Incipient Shire of Camden Tor, Meridies
96 Von Steuben
St. Marys, Ga 31558