[Sca-cooks] gazpacho

[Phil Troy/ G. Tacitus Adamantius]

Also sprach Ana Valdés:
>The most interesting research I read about the gazpacho was carried 
>out in Apicius, the list about Rome food. It was some scholar who 
>had made a research about in how many countries the gazpacho or its 
>varieties was eaten. The scholar made an interesting discovery, the 
>list of countries was the same list of countries under Rome rule or 
>where the legions were around.
>Selon his thesis the gazpacho was at the beginning the cold food the 
>legionaries ate when they marched. Since their main strenght was 
>their mobility they seldom stopped to eat and rest and ate in the 
>move a colc mixture of garlic, water and cucumber. (The tomato was 
>unknown then.)
>Interesting, but if the supposition is correct, what about England? 
>Is gazpacho or a variation of it eaten in Britain?

It is believed that the word "gazpacho" is derived from Arabic roots 
meaning, "moistened bread". Most Spanish versions do include some 
bread, as well as other necessities, those being garlic and olive 
oil. The tomato, cucumber, capsicums, and other common additives are 
nice additives but still additives to what would otherwise already be 
recognizable gazpacho, even without them.

I suspect that it's a coincidence of politics and geography that the 
Romans conquered most of what was later conquered by the Moors, but 
there doesn't seem to be a lot of evidence for anyone, let alone the 
Romans, eating a recognizable gazpacho variant in several other 
Roman-conquered areas, does there?

Now, there are similar dishes, involving, or often involving, soaked 
bread, all around the Mediterranean basin, mostly sauces: skordalia 
from Greece, rouille from Marseille, taramasalata, again from Greece, 
various Turkish and Slavic variants whose names I can't conjure up 
now; all of these places grew/grow wheat and used it for bread, and 
it's logical to assume a common need to use up leftover, stale bread.

Given that these dishes seem to appear in parts of the Middle East 
that the Romans never conquered, I'd be more inclined to look for a 
Moorish influence. Especially since the Roman legionaries' marching 
rations, and their ways with foraged food, seem to be pretty well 
documented.

Adamantius