Centuries old Spanish food

You will often read of how Spanish recipes have their origins in Arab culture. How certain tastes, ingredients and meals can be firmly attributed to the original invading combined army of Moors and Arabs.

But what is their culinary legacy to Spain?

As they tightened their hold on Spain in the 8th century, the invaders brought with them more luxuries.

Public baths, more elaborate clothing, oils, medicines, leather, ceramics, silks and, of course, spices.

The original invasion of Spain in the year 711 saw the army made up of a much greater number of Moors from North Africa than Arabs.

The Moors did all the hard work when it came to taking over the country and its existing Visigoth culture. The Arabs simply took all the credit and, much to the annoyance of the Moors, the most fertile parts of the land.
Inevitably the two fought and the Moors contented themselves with running two thirds of Spain, which they named Al-Andalus. Their influence on cities such as Granada, Seville and Córdoba is there for all to witness to this day.

They believed that food did not exist simply to satisfy hunger - a previously long held belief that you could be forgiven for thinking still exists today - at least in some restaurants in Andalucia!
The Arabs and Moors brought with them more tasty food. They believed that taste buds should be stimulated through the serving of both spicy meals and sweet dishes.

The invaders brought to Spain rice, sugar cane and eggplants from India via Persia. They also imported honeydew melons from Egypt, water melons from Africa and figs from Constantinople.
They ensured that Eastern citrus fruits, peaches, apricots, quinces, almonds and pistachios made it to the Atlantic coast of Spain. How would a Spanish man survive today without his pistachios?

They didn't stop there. Later they brought dates from Iraq and coffee from Yemen.
It is herbs and spices with which the Arabs and Moors are most credited today, centuries after they first arrived in Spain.
Basil, cumin, coriander, mint, ginger, cinnamon, jasmine and saffron - just a few of the spices without which modern Spanish cooking would be a much poorer affair.

Have you ever considered why so many Spanish ingredients and foodstuffs begin with the letter 'A'?
It is because so very many of them would not be on the Iberian Peninsula were it not for the Arab influence.
Words that begin with the Arabic article 'al'. Such as Alcachofa (artichoke), Albaricoque (apricot), Almendra (almond).
Likewise words such as Azafrán (saffron), Azúcar (sugar), Arroz (rice) and Aceite (oil).

Those who conquered Spain back in the 8th century were themselves influenced by Persian, Egyptian and Turkistan cooking and culinary customs.
They combined meat and fish dishes with fruit, spices and herbs. They invented dishes such as lamb with mint or cumin sauce, mutton with apricots and dried cod with orange.
The Moors also introduced rice pudding with honey, almond pastries, quince jam and dates stuffed with nuts and almonds.

And it is the sweet dishes and pastries that have perhaps survived the passing of time the best. When the Christians recaptured Spain they could expel people but they found it much more difficult to get rid of the food and tastes that people now enjoyed daily.

As I have written about previously, Catholic nuns keep the art of making sweet dishes alive to this very day. And in the Spanish cities of Andalucia you will find streets and streets of shops selling sweets the origins for which go back to the days when the Moors took control and changed forever the taste buds of the people. People expected more from their food.

And their influence did not stop at Spanish shores.
Whichever country you find yourself eating in, the next time you sit down for a meal of lamb with mint sauce followed by rice pudding, you will have in front of you a meal that would likely have never made it to your dining table were it not for the invasion of Spain back in the day when centuries were numbered in only three figures.

So proving that wars and invasions do, from time to time, have a beneficial side.