SC - Andelusian cookbooks

[Phil & Susan Troy]

Hullo, the list!

I'm not His Grace, and don't even play him on television, but always happy to
throw in two cents until the genuine article shows up... 

LrdRas at aol.com wrote:
> 
> In a message dated 10/15/98 3:21:35 AM Eastern Daylight Time, ddfr at best.com
> writes:
> 
> << no period
>  North African cookbooks unless you count recipes in Andalusian cookbooks.
> 
>  David/Cariadoc >>
> 
> Here's a question for you Your Grace. I read your statement above and went
> rushing off to check al-Baghdadi. NOT  North African bt any means. However, I
> was wondering if you include this manuscript in your definition of
> 'Andalusian'? I had thought that it was actually from the Middle East as
> opposed to being from Spain.

I thought so too. I believe Cariadoc's point in mentioning an Andalusian
source in connection with North Africa is that such a source, while
technically Spanish, geographically, is culturally not simply Islamic, but
Moorish. The Islamic conquerors/settlers of Al Andalus were generally Islamic
Africans, rather than from the Middle East.
 
> The connection with North Africa is that it contains a good number of recipes
> that are very similar to a modern Ethiopian cookbook and Egyptian cookbook
> that I have. Would it be possible to extrapolate a connection or is the
> simalarrity merely a matter of cultural infusion over the centuries?

Probably some mixture of both. Moorish merchants probably brought their spices
and uses thereof, south, and then there are numerous foods that North and
Central Africa have in common.
> 
> I have tried to broach this subject on the Islamic historical list but the
> professors on that particular list do not seem view agriculture or cooking as
> having any significant impact on al-Islam or vice versa. The only responce was
> from a professor who wrote me privately to request that I forward any info I
> could find. :-(

Well, that's good...there's a lot of what we do that a degree in history,
regardless of the level, doesn't strictly prepare us for. The scholar who is
not prepared to dismiss the value of information, sight unseen, is far wiser,
I'd say, than those who are. I strongly recommend you send him anything you
can, of the more serious stuff...maybe lay off the magic sword stuff, I mean.
;  )

Adamantius 
- -- 
Phil & Susan Troy

troy at asan.com
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