Spain cuisine

Spanish cuisine is heavily influenced by regional cuisines and the particular historical processes that shaped culture and society in those territories. Geography and climate, had great influence on cooking methods and available ingredients, and these particularities are still present in the gastronomy of the various regions that make up the country. Spanish cuisine derives from a complex history, where invasions of the country and conquests of new territories modified traditions and made new ingredients available.

Spain before the Roman Empire Spain used to be divided in three territories for three different “clans: the Celts (north of Spain), the Iberians (center east), and the Tartessos (South). The Celts were a warrior based community, and lived in small fortified round hoses, they fished and farmed. Even today we can see their influence as the north of Spain is renown for their “mariscos” (sea food).The Iberians were mainly hunters and cattle keepers. The center of spain is still considered to have great quality of meat. eg. Cochinillo in Segovia (piglet) The Tartessos were goldsmiths, and did allot of trading with Africa and Greece.

Authors such as Strabo, however, write about aboriginal people using nuts and acorns as staple food.

The Romans introduced the custom of collecting and eating mushrooms, which is still preserved in many parts of Spain, especially in the north. The Romans along with the Greeks introduced viticulture; it also appears that the extension of the vine along the Mediterranean seems to be due to the colonization of the Greeks. Together with the Greeks, the Phoenicians introduced the cultivation of olive oil. Spain is the first world producer of olive oil.

The Visigoths introduced brewing. The change came in 711 AD, when Muslim troops composed of Arabs and Berbers crossed the Strait of Gibraltar, invading the Iberian Peninsula. The Muslim conquest brought new ingredients to Spanish cuisine from different parts of the world, such as Persia and India

The cuisine of Al-Andalus included such ingredients as: rice, sorghum, sugar cane, spinach, eggplant, watermelon, lemon, peach, orange and almonds. However the Muslim religion does not allow alcoholic drinks such as wine, therefore many rulers of Al Ándalus used to uproot vineyards as a signal of piety.

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Wikipedia