Reminiscences of the Arabic Culture Influence on the Gastronomic Heritage of Granada

Abstract

Along the history there have been many civilizations which, either completely or partially, have occupied the Iberian Peninsula. Among this collection of peoples (Greeks, Celts, Romans, Phoenicians, etc.) that left their own mark in our cultural legacy, the Arabians, whose influence spread along 8 centuries, stand out, especially in the south part of the Peninsula, where they left an indelible mark that has remained to the present day.
Therefore, in the area which was then called al-Ándalus, the Arabians incorporated a great number of breakthroughs in agriculture, architecture and gastronomy among other areas, being gastronomy the subject matter. Along this process of research, there is the analysis of the customs and practices of the al-Andalus gastronomy, as well as a research on all the elements (ingredients, preservation and elaboration techniques, agricultural innovation, etc.) that the Arabians introduced or intensified their use into the Peninsula. Furthermore, through the comparison with 4 recipe books, an inventory of the ingredients introduced by the Arabians and the ones that now remain in Granada’s nowadays gastronomy has been stablished.