Thursday, July 30, 2009

Romantic Andalusia as Inspiration


I have a few go-to recipes when I want to serve people a tapas-like plate or if I need to bring a dish to a party. These are the albóndigas of Andalusia. Albóndigas, the Spanish word for "meatball," derives from the Arabic al-bunduq, "hazelnut," meant to evoke their form and size. The making of albóndigas date at least back to Islamic Spain, for there are several recipes in the anonymous thirteenth-century Hispano-Muslim cookery book Kitāb al-tabīkh fī Maghrib wa'al-Āndalus. In fact, the method of frying and then poaching in the making of Albóndigas a la Andaluza, or poaching and then roasting, as found in other recipes in A MEDITERRANEAN FEAST, I believe is an Arab culinary influence because we find it employed not only in medieval Arabic texts but also in today's kitchen. There's a recipe for you here.

[Photo: Clifford A. Wright]

5 comments:

  1. we have to figure out a way for you to start shipping me food after you make it or test out new recipes...

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  2. This is great, Cliff. I want to introduce it at the Hotel Sunday international buffet.

    Never realized that al-bunduq lent its name to meatballs (in Spanish).

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  3. that's funny Justin...or as we cookbook authors says...just follow the recipe.

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