I decided to make a Moorish themed dinner this Sunday. The Moors controlled most of present day Spain from the 8th–15th centuries. While Moorish cuisine is little different from that of Morocco, the Moors had a great effect on the gastronomy of Spain. They introduced almonds, citrus fruit and rice, as well as the irrigation systems necessary to grow them. However, this period was also pre-contact with the New World, so that some items that are common to today’s Spanish and Moroccan cuisines had not yet been introduced to European diets—no tomatoes or chilies, including paprika and cayenne.

Karl’s Moorish Chicken Tajine