In honor of Hispanic History month let's take a look at the significance of 1492. The Moors introduced a number of spices and herbs obtained through the Arabian spice trade into Spanish cookery during their 800 year rule there after 711. Before the Spanish re-conquest of the Peninsula in the late 1400s, the Moorish preference for cooking with liberal amounts of onions, garlic, and buttermilk dominated the Iberian world. Moorish cooks used cinnamon, cumin, turmeric, paprika, sesame seed, black pepper, cloves, and coriander seeds, among other spices. After 1492, the Spanish scramble to exploit the Americas led to introductions of additional foreign ingredients into Spanish kitchens. Thus fusion has always been apart of Spanish cuisine.
