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Spanish Food History
Spanish food history may be among the most varied and interesting in the world. Since before the Romans
the Iberian Peninsular has received influence from many cultures and regions and its gastronomy has
evolved along with each century, each invasion and each conquest. Even today, Spanish cuisine is still
evolving and continues to be one of the forerunners in the promotion of the healthy Mediterranean diet.
The Romans contributed with olive oil and wine, the Arabs with different gazpachos, irrigation systems,
almonds and many other popular and nowadays common products, the “ollas” we know today would not
have been possible without their Sabbath celebration and specific preparation method, and one of Spain's
star product, ham, would not be among the best in the world if it wasn't for Christians.
The Mediterranean diet is known for being as tasty as it is healthy, and the fact is this is largely in part to
the natural produce cultivated and harvested in the region. However many of the ingredients now central to
many of the typical Spanish dishes were not even heard of over 500 years ago, we're talking about the
popular and versatile potatoes, tomatoes, peppers and cocoa, all of them were brought from America upon
its discovery.
Cocoas in particular is just one of those ingredients that has changed eating habits across the world.
Where would we be without chocolate? It is thanks to the Spanish sweet tooth that this treat became so
popular across the world. Plus they even combined it with other ingredients to give us such delight as
chocolate con “churros” - a favorite in the city of Madrid.
But Spanish food has evolved a lot since 1492, here at Spanish Food you can learn about its different
stages since the year Spain became Spain, that is, the year of the reconquest, when it was unified once
again and most of the American countries became Spain's colonies. So many of the ingredients that we
now take for granted actually came into our gastronomies thanks to the explorations of the Spanish.
Tomatoes, potatoes and many other products are just some of the things brought back from the Americas.
Spain naturally has a rich agricultural heritage of all manner of ingredients as well. In particular, it is one of
the world's largest producers of grapes and olives. Both of these products are used to produce some of
Spain's other signature items: wine and olive oil. Both of these products are now protected by various
Designations of Origin.
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1. The Romans Food
The Romans did not eat huge meals, but ate a varied diet consisting of vegetables, meat and fish. The
poorest Romans ate quite simple meals, but the rich were used to eating a wide range of dishes using
produce from all over the Roman Empire.
Their main food was potttage. Pottage is a kind of thick stew made from wheat, millet or corn. Sometimes
they would add cooked meat, offal or a sauce made out of wine. Food for the common people consisted of
wheat or barley, olive oil, a little fish, wine, home grown vegetables, and if they were lucky enough to own
a goat or cow or chickens, cheese and a few eggs. As the Republic grew and the Empire expanded the
Romans came into contact with food from other countries. They used herbs and spices to flavour their food
and began eating more fish, especially shell fish. Vegetables were plentiful and most of the Roman's
recipes included vegetables. They also ate a lot of fruit, especially grapes, and made wine.
The Romans ate their food with their fingers. They used knives made from antlers, wood or bronze with an
iron blade to cut their food. They also had spoons made from bronze, silver and bone which they used to
eat eggs, shellfish and liquid.
A Typical Roman's Food for the day:
Romans typically ate three meals a day –breakfast (ientaculum), lunch (prandium) and dinner (cena).
Cena was the main meal.
The three meals
Breakfast - This would be eaten early, probably as soon as the sun rose and would include bread and
fresh fruit.
Lunch - Probably taken around noon. Lunch was only a small meal as it was thought a large meal would
make one fall asleep in the afternoon. It would include some of the following - a little cooked meat - ham or
salami, salad, cheese, hard-boiled eggs, vegetables and bread.
Dinner - This would begin at about four in the afternoon and could continue into the night. The starter
would be either a salad or dish of small fish. The main course of fish, cooked meat and vegetables would
be served next. The dessert would consist of fresh fruit and cheese. Sometimes small cakes sweetened
with honey would be served.
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The Romans did not sit down at a tables to eat their meals. They spread out on couches around a low,
square table. They basically ate lying down! The Romans ate their food with their fingers. They used
knives made from antlers, wood or bronze with an iron blade to cut their food. They also had spoons made
from bronze, silver and bone which they used to eat eggs, shellfish and liquid.
Fruit and Vegetables
A range of different fruits and vegetables were eaten by the Romans. They would have had: carrots,
radishes, beans, dates, turnips, pears, plums, pomegranates, almonds, olives, figs, celery, apples,
cabbages, pumpkins, grapes, mushrooms and many more.
Meat
The Romans kept animals for their meat. The rich ate beef, pork, wild boar, venison, hare, guinea fowl,
pheasant, chicken, geese, peacock, duck, and even dormice (served with honey). The poorer Romans
didn’t eat as much meat as the rich, but it still featured in their diet.
Fish
Lots of seafood was consumed by the Romans. They particularly enjoyed shellfish and fish sauce known
as liquamen.
Bread and Porridge
Bread was a staple part of the Roman diet. Three grades of bread were made, and only rich ate refined
white bread. Pottage, a thick porridge-like stew, was made from millet or wheat. To this the Romans would
add cooked meats, sauces and spices.
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The Romans liked cheese (which was mainly made from goat’s milk) and eggs (from a variety of different
birds). Romans didn’t know about sugar, so honey was used as a sweetener. Rich Romans also used salt,
pepper and a range of spices to add flavour to their meals.
What did the Romans drink?
Wine was the main drink of the Roman Empire. It was always watered down and never drunk ‘straight’. In
addition to drinking wine, the Romans also drank wine mixed with other ingredients. Calda was drunk in
the winter and was made from wine, water and spices. Mulsum was a honey and wine mixture.The Romans
didn’t drink beer and rarely drank milk.
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2. Arab Influence
It really isn't possible to speak about Spanish food or the Mediterranean diet without noting the importance
of the rich legacy of Al-Andalus gastronomy. Much of the current cuisine of the Iberian country is heir of
the Muslim tradition, an empire that occupied up to 70% of the country at some point. This occupation
extended from 711 to 1492, the year that Spain was unified and America was discovered.
Al-Andalus gastronomy is much reflected in the mediterranean diet, with some variations of course, such
as the consumption of pork. This inheritance is specially marked in Andalusia, where gazpachos and other
cold soups are originally from, but this influence is also reflected in other areas such as Alicante (Valencia)
where a typical nougat is made, Murcia, Almeria and many more regions.
Just like in any other gastronomy, different food was consumed according to social class, cities and rural
areas. The preparation methods varied as well. The tradition of Al-Andalus gastromomy is very rich and
varied. They had less prohibitions than Jews, in fact mainly pork and fermented drinks were forbidden,
however this precept was not always respected or followed 100% in Muslim Spain.
The Arab tradition in Spain also contributed to the Spanish vocabulary. If you study Spanish in Spain you
will learn all about this. Many of the Moorish dishes and ingredients that made it into the Spanish language
begin with the letters 'al, 'ar', the article in Arab, such as the culinary words like albóndiga (meatballs),
aceite (oil), aceituna (olives), arroz (rice), etc.
The higher classes consumed little or no fish and shellfish. There was no religious prohibition related to
products from the sea, but rather it was the doctors that discouraged them from the kitchens, arguing that
it's pestilent odour and strong taste was not healthy. Nowadays fried fish is very common in the
gastronomy of the southern Spanish region of Andalusia.
However the Al-andalus gastronomy of the more humble classes, specially those who lived near the
coasts ate plenty of fish; raw, fried or salted, the most common were sardines and tuna. In fact, one of the
main cookery techniques that the Arabs brought to Spain was pickling, especially fish in vinegar solutions.
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Today, you will find that pickled anchovies and sardines are commonly eaten as a “tapa” when served on a
piece of bread.
There are many products that the Arabs introduced in the Iberian peninsula: eggplant, spinach, sugar
cane, rice, apricots and citrics among others. It's true that olives have been cultivated in Spain from pre
historic times, but the olive culture increased considerably under the Al-Andalus empire. The introduction
of irrigation ditches, cisterns and draining systems contributed largely to it. But it wasn't only the olive
production that increased with these improvements, but all kinds of crops.
The meats that the arabs prefered were lamb and poultry; basically with little grease. They would be
marinated overnight in milk or vinegar, seasoned with vegetables such as onion, garlic, fennel and olives
and spiced with cinnamon and coriander. Overall, the Al-Andalus diet was very healthy, especially
compared to those typical from other regions of Spain with little or no Arab influence.
The Moors brought heaps of technology to the Iberian peninsular, but not all of them were for food. It is
thanks to the Moors that the Spanish learnt how to use stills for distilling alcohol. The Moors didn't drink
alcohol for religious purposes so they have developed these stills to create alcohols for medicinal
purposes instead, as well as to produce perfumes. However, the Spanish used them to make alcohols that
were able to be drunk such as “licor de orujo”, which is made from grape must.
Other areas of the Spanish gastronomy that were affected by the Moors include desserts. The Moors
brought sugarcane to Spain and taught the Spanish how to refine it. This helped to revolutionize Spanish
cakes and other sweets which has generally been made in a similar fashion to bread and then sweetened
with honey. Other desserts influenced by the Moorish culture include “arrope”, a syrup which is used in a
similar way to marmalade.
If you ever get a chance to go to Spain, make sure that you try out some of these dishes, and do not forget
that it was the Moors who brought them to Spain all those centuries ago. Religion has played a large part
in Spain's history, but as you will surely see, it is most visible in its gastronomy!
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3. Sephardic Influence
For hundreds of years Spain, or rather what would be Spain one day (most of the Iberian peninsula) was a
peaceful place were the different religious creeds found tolerance. Jews, Muslims and Christians lived in
the space of the same city. There were differences, for sure, but no enmity among them. This permitted
each of these cultures to leave a legacy in what we know as the Spanish gastronomy or mediterranean
diet, one of the most varied diets in the world.
If you ever send your kids to Spanish summer camp they will have the chance to sample and taste all the
delicious dishes the healthy mediterranean diet has to offer. However it was a long process to get where
we are, and the cuisine of Spain has certainly undergone a lot of foreign influence over the centuries. In
the year that Al-Andalus Muslims were expelled the Jews fared no better and they had to leave Sefarad
(they Hebrew name for Spain) and their homes as well. This was all because the Catholic Monarchs
(Ferdinand and Isabella) were rather fundamentalist and hence intolerant when it came to religion.
Ferdinand and Isabella decided that they wanted the whole Iberian Peninsula to be Christian which meant
that there had to be a change. Hence Muslims and Jews were given a choice: convert or get out. Of
course it wasn't so blunt as that, but for those that didn't do either life became a lot harder.
It is important to note that gastronomy in the Hebrew tradition is much related to their religious activities
and celebrations, as well as rules and prohibitions. We know that the Jews in Spain were generally
wealthy, and some of their gastronomic traditions shocked people from other religions and social stratums,
for instance preparing separately and never mixing milk and meat (some even had two kitchens to prepare
them apart).
Some of the most common dishes in Sephardic gastronomy were breaded and fried courgettes and
eggplant, a pie made with different types of cheese, egg and spices, djadjik; a soup like dish made with
yogurt, cucumber and mint, seasoned with olive oil and vinegar among many others, as well as a
countless variety of salads that included beetroot, courgettes, eggplant, cabbage, cauliflower, etc. The
Coran and the Torah both forbid the consumption of pork thousands of years before due to a parasitic
disease: trichinosis; so they consumed other meats, lamb was the chief among them, since to them it was
the most sacred animal. The prohibitions were more related to how the products were mixed rather than
actual ingredients, save for pork.
Some historians claim is not really possible to speak about a Sephardic gastronomy specifically, since
basically it was kosher tradition adapted to the region were they lived: kosher must be respected, yet the
recipes varied according to availability of ingredients. However a lot of the typical Spanish food recipes
have undoubtedly Sephardic (or Jewish) influence.For instance gazpachos manchegos, prepared with
unleavened bread is a direct legacy, so are the different "ollas" (stews prepared overnight or for many
hours in clay pots) are inherited from the Jewish sabbath, where it was forbidden to prepare food, so the
stews would be prepared before that day and only heated. Another cooking technique that derived from
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this was the act of pickling things, as it meant they would keep overnight. Also, it meant that they gained a
stronger taste. Today, if you go to a Spanish tapas bar in Spain then you will most certainly see some
pickled items on the menu, especially pickled fish.
The consumption of fish is also related to the Sephardic gastronomy. The wealthy Al Andalus classes were
not exactly big fans of seafood, as they considered it unhealthy, but the Jews frequently ate fish on
Sabbath. This extended to the Christian tradition as well, and fish would become the Sunday meal. The
typical anchovy preparation "boquerones en vinagre" (anchovies in vinegar) is a direct legacy.
And the most typical spice? Cumin.
In Spain you will have access to a variety of dishes to taste, and you will very likely try some dishes
influenced by Sephardic gastronomy even if you don't know; it prevails in the ingredients used, not only the
preparation.
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4. Christian Influence
Christian influence in the Spanish gastronomy is without doubt an important one, but it is most certainly not
the only one. Nowadays most of Spain is Catholic, but back in the day, many centuries ago, the religion did
not have quite the monopoly that it does today. The Jews had lived in Spain for centuries but in the year
638 they began to be prosecuted as king Chintila decided he wanted to convert them by force through and
oath. Lucky for them a few years later (710) the Muslim invasion of Spain began and occupied a large part
of the peninsula, and in times of Caliphate, Jews were accepted, they no longer needed to run, hide or
convert.
There were vast areas where territory was divided by religion, and
others, especially larger cities, where they all lived together. This cultural exchange meant a change in the
culinary customs of all three religions, and we can safely say that Spanish gastronomy wouldn't be the
same without one of them.
Christians were direct heirs of the Visigoths, who in turn were heirs of the Romans, and this is also true of
their gastronomy. From chronicles of the time we know that more or less until the 12th century Christians
typically ate once, at most twice a day, and it was recommended to eat and drink with restraint.
The amazing Spanish ham process was developed by Christians, as the meat was forbidden for both,
Jews and Muslims. When it came to pork, Christians took advantage of the whole animal, nothing would
be wasted and although some people may wrinkle their noses, for many years all those parts of the pig
that were frowned upon by the rich, fed the poor. Christian influence in the Spanish gastronomy is specially
notorious when it comes to pork. Be sure to try the best ham that the country has to offer which you will
find in the markets and the bars of Spain.
Religion certainly played an important part when it comes to gastronomy, particularly with the creation of
specific dishes for certain religious events and occasions. For example, there were a number of dishes
especially prepared for lent (without any kind of meat save for fish) and Sundays, which gave way to a vast
variety of fish and shellfish dishes, legume stews without meat and all manner of desserts made without
the use of any animal fat.
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There are also many traditions with regards to the food consumed in Easter. Garlic soup is normally
consumed during this time whiles cod is yet another main ingredient in many Spanish tables, “croquetas”
are abundant and fritters make a special appearance. Gastronomically speaking, Spain is an interesting
country and it is at its greater during the Easter period.
The Christian influence in the Spanish gastronomy is also important when it comes to desserts and
sweetmeats. It is said that Marzipan (March bread) was created in Toledo in the 11th century, invented by
the nuns of the Convent San Clemente in times of famine. There was no wheat in their storerooms, but
they did have plenty of sugar and almonds, and so using a bit of their initiative, they invented marzipan.
There's a contending hypothesis that it was invented in Sicily as well.
But nuns invented many other desserts and cakes and many of those convents still make and sell the
same traditional desserts, such as “suspiro de monja" (nun's sight), “torrijas”, wine rolls and many other
tasty treats. In the past wealthy families would commission desserts, buns, sweets and cakes from nuns
who would thus increase their income. There are some desserts that even today can only be found in
convents.
As of late, when Catholicism is undergoing a bit of fall in popularity in the country, and many of those who
are Catholic no longer stick to the rules so strictly, much of the Lent and Easter gastronomy is being lost.
An excellent reason for you to start learning how to cook some of these great Spanish dishes and protect
them from gastronomic extinction. Despite this fact, Christian influence can be felt as much as Muslim and
Jewish influence in the gastronomic culture.
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5. New World New Ingredients
Spanish history -and Spanish gastronomy of course- would take a huge turn when a new continent was
discovered by mistake, in 1492. It was also the year of the reconquest, when the Muslims of Al-Andalus
were expelled from most of the Iberian Peninsula. This meant that a lot of the cooking techniques from this
culture were disregarded, and so Spanish gastronomy was in need of a revival. Thankfully, the Americas
were able to provide that extra lift needed to revitalise Spanish food.
Soon new ingredients would appear in Spain, though some people who looked at them would wrinkle their
noses or frown upon them, and it would take many years for some of these vegetables to become
acceptable to Spanish palates. Curiously, much of the Spanish diet -if not most- is based on these few
ingredients and some would even, some day, save Europe from starving during famine.
So what ingredients are we talking about? Tomatoes, potatoes, peppers and cocoa as well as wheat.
There was hardly any pre-columbine influence in the preparation of food in Spain, but for the use of these
vegetables. However, as we mentioned, it's acceptance took a little longer.
It is believed that potatoes came into Europe through Galicia, where it was first cultivated. This bulb had
been discovered in Perú in 1532, it would take some years till it spread to the rest of the country, and
continent, but eventually it was accepted, specially during the Eighty Years' War, when it fed thousands of
Spanish soldiers stationed in Holland. The lower classes took more time to assimilate this new vegetable,
preferring turnips and parsnips instead.
Today potatoes are one of the main ingredients of the most emblematic dishes in Spanish cuisine: “tortilla
de patatas”, “patatas bravas”, “papas arrugadas” from the Canary Island and many others. Should you
ever travel to Spain you will get the chance to taste all the wonders that Spanish cuisine makes with
potatoes. But potato is not only important in Spain, most European countries have this bulb as a base
ingredient for many of their dishes.
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Tomatoes were imported from Mexico, as it was an important ingredient in Aztec food. In Spain it was
believed to be unfit for consumption, and it was given a medicinal and ornamental use as well. Nowadays
we can't imagine life without tomatoes: “pantumaca”, “gazpacho”, “salmorejo” and many other dishes use it
as a base ingredient. Tomato also changed the gastronomy in different countries. What would pizza and
spaguetti bolognese be without tomatoes?
Another very important ingredient was cocoa beans, from which chocolate was (and is) made. During the
17th and 18th century chocolate in Spain became a national vice of the gentry. In the Aztec empire
chocolate was consumed very bitter, directly from cocoa and occassionally mixed with wheat flour. The
Spaniards had the great idea of mixing it with sugar and it became the most popular drink among the
wealthier classes. In fact the Spanish aristocracy and clergy would drink it at all hours. Too popular in fact
for the liking of the church, who decided to forbid it.
Some of the smaller ingredients that made it across the ocean to Spain include paprika which has since
become one of the Spanish's favourite spices. This spice is used in a number of dishes in Spanish cooking
and is the vital ingredient for transforming “chorizo” sausages into their characteristic red colour. Before
this, “chorizo” was generally a black or brown colour. It was in the 17th century that they began to combine
the sausage with paprika, hence changing the image of the sausage forever.
As you can see, many of the ingredients that we take for granted nowadays actually came from the
Americas so we have a lot to thank the Spanish explorers for. In fact, many of the traditional dishes that we
associate with Spain would not have existed if it were not for Colombus's idea to try and reach China in a
different way. If you decide to visit Spain, make sure that you fully appreciate all of these ingredients by
trying out recipes and dishes that include a selection of them, such as Spanish tortilla, gazpacho, and
chorizo.
(Summarized from http://www.spanish-food.org/spanish-food-history.html)