From around 700 to 1200, the Islamic-ruled Spanish city of Córdoba was a rare beacon of religious tolerance in Europe. During the Convivencia, as the period is known, Muslims, Jews, and Christians all coexisted in relative harmony. This cross-cultural exchange led to a flurry of intellectual and culinary flourishing. Moorish dishes, or those created by the Muslim inhabitants of the Iberian Peninsula, were often ornate affairs that drew on the vast array of spices and sweet-savory flavors of the Arab world. Yet when the fragile peace of the Convivencia shattered,…
