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Diet and dietetics in al-Andalus

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 March 2007

Jordi Salas-Salvadó ,
Maria D. Huetos-Solano ,
Pilar García-Lorda  and
Mònica Bulló
Jordi Salas-Salvadó*
Affiliation:
Unitat de Nutrició Humana, Facultat de Medicina de Reus, C/Sant Llorenç 21, E-43201 Reus, Spain
Maria D. Huetos-Solano
Affiliation:
Unitat de Nutrició Humana, Facultat de Medicina de Reus, C/Sant Llorenç 21, E-43201 Reus, Spain
Pilar García-Lorda
Affiliation:
Unitat de Nutrició Humana, Facultat de Medicina de Reus, C/Sant Llorenç 21, E-43201 Reus, Spain
Mònica Bulló
Affiliation:
Unitat de Nutrició Humana, Facultat de Medicina de Reus, C/Sant Llorenç 21, E-43201 Reus, Spain
*
*Corresponding author: Dr Jordi Salas-Salvadó, fax +34 9 77759322, email [email protected]
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Abstract

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Al-Andalus society (711–1492) based its idea of health on the wisdom of Classical Greece, the Hippocratic–Galenic theories, as well as the Persian and Hindu cultures. The twelfth century in al-Andalus is considered to be the most prolific period for works of a scientific and technical nature. At the time, the main treatises on dietetics were written and this science reached its widest expression with such leading figures as Ibn Wāfīd, Avenzoar, Averroes and Maimonides, whose works revealed the first scientific knowledge on the nutritional processes of the human body. Diet was regarded as being essential for health and the prevention of disease. Dietary guidelines were written for different age groups, different body types and different seasons of the year. The amount of food to be ingested, the number of meals recommended and the order in which the food should be consumed were all issues that were discussed. A variety of foods were thought to have medicinal properties, some of which are known today. The diet in al-Andalus was varied and very probably made a substantial contribution to the origin of the present-day Mediterranean diet, rich in olive oil, wholemeal cereals, fruit and vegetables, fish, lamb, poultry, nuts and spices. We also find that many of the terms in current use in diet and agriculture are a living testimony to the Arabic influence, as are many of the dishes of our varied Mediterranean gastronomy.

Keywords

Al-AndalusNutrition historyMediterranean diet
Type
Research Article
Information
British Journal of Nutrition , Volume 96 , Issue S1 , August 2006 , pp. S100 - S104
Copyright
Copyright © The Nutrition Society 2006

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