Banned Identity: A history of couscous during the Spanish Inquisition
For EATEN Magazine No. 7, I wrote about the history of couscous during the Spanish Inquisition - from noble dish to a symbol of a banned identity. Take a peak below, and order a copy here. “Talk to me about kuskusu, it is a noble and distinguished dish,” wrote the 15th-century magistrate of Granada, Abū [...]
The olive oil industry is confronting death by spittlebug in Europe
Xylella is one of the 'most dangerous plant bacteria worldwide' and has been confirmed in Corsica, the Balearic Islands, southern France, Spain, Portugal and Germany It was in the winter of 2018 when Juan Escandell first noticed something was wrong. Leaves on some of his olive trees were withering and turning brown, while the fruits [...]
Avocados – farmers’ green gold – push southern Spain toward water collapse
Europe’s largest avocado producer is facing ecological costs that are bearing down on the world's trendiest crop Hundreds of small trees dot the terraced hillside, brown and parched under the early summer sun. They may not look like much now, but by next year they’ll bear the fruit of one of Spain’s most profitable export [...]
The hidden Islamic history of Madrid revealed
Muslims, campaigners and tour companies are revealing a heritage too long denied in Spain's capital Hachim Oulad Mhammed was reading an Arabic book on ancient history when he first learnt that Madrid had Islamic origins. It piqued his curiosity and he began investigating. What he found was, at first, striking: now it evokes pride, weighed [...]