QALAM WITH 13TH CENTURY RECIPE FOR A SUGAR DISH

Cones of sugar
Photo from: christieandsteve

MEng lofe sugar, Eng sugardloaf; refined sugar molded into a cone.  Sugarcane was brought to Iberia by the Muslims and planted in southern Spain.

Avenzoar claimed that Galen classified it as a variety of honey and preferred it to honey in syrup preparations for stomach, esophagus and urinary conditions. 

Sugar was known to have the same properties as honey. It was valued for its high number of calories.

Sugarcane was exported from New Guinea to China and India before the Arabs brought it to Persia. With Arab conquests in Europe, sugar cane was take to Italy and Spain and cultivated in Sicily and southern Spain. 

Between the 8th and 12th centuries, it was a luxury product domestically and pharmacology,. As it was so expensive, only the upper class had it.  

During the Nazari reign (1230-1492), sugar became a common product in Iberian households as sugarcane production expanded. It became an ingredient for a large number of dishes, drinks and sweets popularly sold in souks such as fritters, wafer cakes or puffs, qurzas etc. 

Sugarcane
Photo from: liying the MONST

It was considered a spice in the rest of Europe until the 16th Century when it was produced in American colonies. It did not become a common household product until the process of extracting sugar from beetroot was discovered in the 19th Century.

[Castro. Alimentación.1996:245; Ibn Zuhr/García Sánchez. 1992:94]

For recipes calling for sugar see the following blogs, among others, include:

            Alcorza, published Jul 11, 11, Almojábanas, published Aug 28, 11, Embadurnar, published Feb 7, 14, and Mesue, published Jun 27, 16.

A SUGAR DISH AS DICATED BY ABU ‘ALI AL-BAGDADI 

ADAPTED FROM HUICI’S TRANSLATION OF ANÓN, AL-ANDALUS 

#148 AZUCARADO SEGÚN EL DICTADO DE 
ABÜ ALÏ AL-BAGDÃDÏ, p 99  

Sugar dish Cut into Bitsize Shapes
Photo by: Lord-Williams

Ingredients

1 c sugar

1 ⅓ tbsp

 rosewater

1 ½ c chopped almonds

½  tsp cinnamon[1]

¼  tsp cloves[1]

Garnish

¼ c powdered sugar

Preparation

Mix sugar with rosewater and bring to a boil until it begins to thicken.

Fry almonds, taking care not to burn them. Pound them and add them to the sugar mixture. Stir in low heat until thickened.

Remove from heat and spread out on a dish. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

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[1] The Medieval Spanish Chef's addition.

HUICI’S TRANSLATION OF ANÓN, AL-ANDALUS 

#148 AZUCARADO SEGÚN EL DICTADO DE 
ABÜ ALÏ AL-BAGDÃDÏ, p 99  

                                       

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