The Cuisine Of Al Andalus

The cuisine of Al-Andalus by Francisco J. González

In the year 711 an Islamic Arab army crossed from Morocco into the Visigothic Kingdom of Spain, conquering what was once Rome’s richest European province. The resulting mixture of cultures (Roman, Gothic, Middle Eastern, etc.) is reflected in many aspects of Medieval Spain, including its cuisine. “One takes a fat young sheep, skinned and cleaned. It is opened between the two muscles and till that is in its stomach is carefully removed, In its interior one puts a stuffed goose and in the goose's belly a stuffed hen, and in the hen's belly a stuffed young pigeon, and in the pigeon's belly a stuffed thrush and in the thrush s belly another stuffed or fried bird, all of this stuffed and sprinkled with the sauce described for stuffed dishes. The opening is sewn together, the sheep is put in the hot clay oven, or tannur, and it is left until done and crisp on the outside. It is sprinkled with more sauce, and then put in the cavity of a calf which has already been prepared and cleaned. The calf is then stitched together and put in the hot tannur, and left till it is done and crisp on the outside. Then it is taken out and presented.” That is the recipe for a royal dish published in an early 13th-century book on SpanishNorth African cuisine by an anonymous Spanish Muslim author from Valencia. The book is clearly intended to be a practical manual, written without any literary pretensions, yet it contains more than 500 recipes that give us an intriguing glimpse into a cuisine so original, creative and complicated that it reminds us of the vast world of Chinese cooking. It is the cuisine of Al-Andalus -Muslim Spain In addition to new cooking techniques, new ingredients were introduced to Europe from Arab Spain, such as almonds (originally from Central Asia) and which in one form or another, were a feature of almost every Andalusian dish and are part of uncounted Spanish dishes now. In addition, sugar cane brought from Egypt and became an important crop in southern AlAndalus. Sugar had been unknown in Europe until the arrival of the Arabs in Spain. These traditional Andalusian recipes came to the Americans with the Spanish settlers and conquistadores of the 16th century, and are also part of Latin America’s gastronomic traditions. Below are a few selected traditional recipes from Al-Andalus… buen provecho! I- PASTEL CORDOBES 500 grams (1 lb.) flour 100 grams (3½ oz.) shortening

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300 grams (10½ oz.) butter A scant ½ liter (7 oz.) water A small squirt of vinegar One teaspoon salt 2 beaten eggs 500 grams (1 lb.) cabello de angel (grated candied pumpkin) Sugar Cinnamon Knead the flour, water, vinegar, shortening and salt into a homogeneous dough, adding the water gradually to make sure it does not become too soft or liquid. Roll the dough out with a rolling pin and spread the butter evenly on top. Then fold it and roll it again like a puff pastry. Repeat six times. Divide into two equal parts and roll them out into two rounds. Cover one round with the grated pumpkin. Place the other round on top. Painting the edges with a little of the beaten egg, pinch to seal the two rounds together with a braided effect. The two layers together should be no more than two to three centimeters (1 in.) thick. Put it in a preheated oven at 250 degrees Celsius (475° F) for 35 minutes. Just before it is done, dab the crust with the rest of the beaten egg and sprinkle sugar and cinnamon on top. Serve hot or cold. II- FRIED EGGPLANT Eggplant Flour Milk Salt Olive toil Peel the eggplant, slice it, and leave the is to soak for several hours in milk with a leaded salt, so that the eggplant, having soaked up the milk, will not soak up oil when frying. Remove the slices from the milk, letting the excess run off, dip them in flour and fry in virgin olive oil till crispy. III- ALBORONIA 250 grams (½ lb.) onions 750 grams (1½ lbs.) eggplant (aubergines) 250 grams (½ lb.) zucchini (courgettes) 3 green peppers 500 grams (1 pound) tomatoes

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1 teaspoon of ground allspice 2 ½ tablespoons of olive oil 1 tablespoon of flour Pepper and salt 1 cup water The eggplant and zucchini are cut into cubes. The green pepper, tomatoes and onions are finely chopped. The oil is heated in a deep frying pan and the chopped onion is added. As soon as it is golden, add the eggplant, squash, peppers, and, lastly, the tomatoes. Cover and let cook for a while, then put in the allspice, the flour and a little pepper. A cup of water can be added, and salt is added to taste. Let it all cook slowly until the dish sits in its own sauce. Serves six. Article and recipes adapted from The Cuisine of Al-Andalus by Tor Eigeland http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/198905/the.cuisine.of.al-andalus.htm

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