Sephardic Culinary Heritage of the Jews of Spain According to the Oldest Medieval Spanish Cookbook

The transmission of Jewish culinary traditions over generations has played a vital role in shaping the rich Sephardic culinary heritage we know today. This heritage is a testament to the resilience and cultural identity of the Jewish communities in Spain. Through recipes and cooking techniques passed down through families, Jewish cuisine has maintained its distinct flavors and customs, even amidst historical challenges.

Exploring Jewish recipes from a modern-day cookbook is quite common, but delving into Jewish recipes from a medieval cookbook is exceptional. The intricate relationship between the dominant and dominated cultures, along with their respective practices—including culinary ones—highlights how religion can serve as a tool of power, reflecting the social and political contexts of the time. Consequently, the recipes and culinary habits that are unveiled are as significant as those that remain hidden.

Historiography sheds light on the Kitāb al-ṭabīẖ (“The Cookbook” in Arabic) that emerges as a unique witness to intricate realities. This thirteenth-century text is the oldest culinary cookbook from the Iberian Peninsula that has survived, and it stands as the oldest known source explicitly mentioning Jewish recipes. The Kitāb al-ṭabīẖ presents an original culinary profile that reflects territorial multiculturalism. Therefore, the inclusion of Jewish recipes in a cookbook from such a hostile context is particularly noteworthy.

This context raises several questions about the inclusion of explicitly Jewish recipes in this Arabic-written cookbook. How do these Jewish recipes compare to the other recipes in the collection? Why is it relevant to discuss Sephardi cuisine today? Investigating these questions not only deepens our understanding of Sephardic culinary heritage but also illuminates the broader cultural exchanges and adaptations within Iberian society.

The Sephardic Culinary Heritage of the Jews of Spain According to the Oldest Medieval Spanish Cookbook

Maurice Amado Program in Sephardic Studies

Hélène Jawhara Piñer (Fordham)
Moderator: Aomar Boum (UCLA)

Sponsored by the UCLA Alan D. Leve Center for Jewish Studies
https://levecenter.ucla.edu/
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