THE TASTE OF AL-ANDALUS

Journalist and cookbook author Janet Mendel on how the region's flavours have influenced Spanish cuisine

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In your book Flavors of Al-Andalus you include 120 recipes with Moorish heritage. How did you achieve this?

Having written several previous books about Spanish cooking, I have an extensive collection of traditional recipes. I started by pulling recipes from my files whose titles are derived from Arabic, for example albóndigas (meatballs), alboronía (eggplant stew), alfajores (honey-almond rolls) and almojábanas (cheese-filled sweet buns).

I also researched medieval Arabic cookery manuscripts in translation. Two examples are The Exile's Cookbook, Medieval Gastronomic Treasures from al-Andalus and North Africa by Ibn Razīn al-Tujībī, translated by Professor Daniel L Newman, and Smorgasbords of Andalusi and Maghribi Dishes and Their Salutary Benefits (Anwā 'al-Saydala fi Alwān al-At'ima), an anonymous 13th century cookbook translated and edited by Nawal Nasrallah. I searched for recipes that closely resemble dishes that are still prepared in today's kitchens.

Finally, I selected recipes that communities themselves identify as 'Andalusí' or that are traditional in towns that historically have a Muslim history. Sometimes this entailed modifications, for example, deleting tomatoes, potatoes or pimentón (paprika). These are ingredients from the New World, unknown in medieval Spain, that have been added to historical dishes in subsequent centuries. I swapped lamb or beef, the prevalent meats in Moorish times, in recipes where today's cooks would use pork.

In which areas is the culinary legacy of Moorish Spain most evident and how can it be seen?