[Sca-cooks] lard vs. olive oil vs. butter

[Suey]

Elaine Koogler quered:


:
> by Charles Perry, refer to "oil", they are talking about olive oil rather
> than the sesame oil found in other Muslim cultures? 
I believe Perry and Huici are referring to olive oil although Perry has 
a note as to the type of sesame oil used in Islamic cooking, which can 
be confusing. I, personally, would not have mentioned that as I believe 
he is not referring to Andalusian cooking.

Stefan quered:
> What do you mean "until olive groves were producing enough for  
> cooking"?  Don't olive groves in Spain, in fact all throughout the  
> Mediterranean, go back to ancient times? Well before the Muslims?
>   
As Robin Carroll-Mann remarked the Phoenicians are thought to have 
brought olive trees to Spain. That was around 1050 BC. The Romans made 
an industry out of Spanish olive oil but that declined with the fall of 
Rome and during the three centuries of Goth rulership until Muslim 
domination. They increased and improved production. I maintain that 
during the early Muslim era there was not enough olive oil to go around 
in Andalusia much less other parts of Spain, all of which were under 
Muslim occupation for varied periods of time except the northwestern 
corner. Note Leon today imports olives and oil as the climate is not apt 
for groves.
Suey