NUEVA-CLÁSICA COCINA ANDALUSÍ WITH 13TH CENTURY FOR MEAT PATTIES

With Ziryab Came the First Euopean
Crystal Factory outside Cordova
Photo by: Pedro Pablo Montero

New-Classical Al-Andalus Cuisine. At first it was greatly influenced by Damascus and Baghdad but the majority was based on Mozarab and Muladi recipes passed drown from Roman traditional cuisine. This was combined with some Muslim techniques, Sephardi influence and that of invaders from Maghreb, who also were affected by the Romans and  Greek-Persian-Indus style brought by them and the cuisine which resulted from adopting dishes in accordance with the seasons.

Hippocrates, Galen and Dioscorides, the Ancient Greek Philosophers, were thoroughly studied by the Islamic court in Al-Andalus for their medical knowledge concerning nutrition. In the beginning of the 9^th C, Ziryab brought culinary art from Persia, which was adapted. This made Al-Andalus the first  territory to have refined cuisine in Europe consisting of etiquette at the table, a tablecloth and a professional staff, trained through apprenticeship, which was the equivalent of today’s hotel management schools.

Meat Chopped in a Mortar
Photo by: Lord-Williams

Nutritional customs of the Muslims progressed from the beginning of the 7^th C but during Ziryab’s time,

Mesue provided more nutritional knowledge that society needed to know concerning balanced diets. This was expanded by Rhazes in the 10^th C and later by Avicenna, Averroes and Maimonides and Cordovan natives, during the 11^th and 12^th C and in the 14^th C by Isaac Israeli in Toledo and others. As demonstrated by recipes found the 13^th C manuscripts: Fadālat Al-Jawān (Delights of the Table) by Ibn Razīn and Anón Al-Andalus, Al-Andalus cookery was characterized by originality and creativeness.

See Averroes, Avicena, Dioscorides, Galeno, Hippocrates, Ibn Razīn, Israeli, Maimonides, Mesue, Razes and Ziryab.  

[Anón/Huici. 66; Benavides-Barajas. Nueva-Clásica. 1995:11-15:20:22; 

Lord-Williams Susan. Culinary Abundance. Mar 4, 08; and Lord. Cocina. 06]

RECIPE FOR IMEAT PATTIES ADAPTED FROM HUICI’S TRANSLATION OF ANÓN, AL-ANDALUS #5 RECETA DE ISFÎRIYÂ, P 18

Ingredients

An A-Andalus Patty
Waiting a Sauce of the Chef's Choice
Photo by: Lord-Williams

1 lb ground beef

3 ½ oz sour dough

1 large egg

seasoning[1]:

salt to taste

¼ tsp white pepper

1 tsp ground and dissolved saffron

½ tsp cumin

1 tsp coriander seed

oil for frying

Preparation

Grind red meat. Mix sour dough dissolved in egg.  Season with salt, pepper, saffron, cumin, and coriander seed. Knead well.

Heat olive oil in a frying pan. When the oil begins to boil, dip a meat patty, as big as a serving spoon, into the oil in order for it to form a thin cake. Repeat until all the mixture is fried.

Make a sauce[2].

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[1] This recipe is a famous example of how Indian spices were adapted in Western Europe.

[2] No recipe is provided.

AL-ANDALUS #5