Ziryab, the trendsetting aesthete

To gauge social progress in Al-Andalus, we need to rewind to the 9^th century Although it is not known how many recipes existed among the manuscripts of the well-stocked libraries of Córdoba, Toledo, and Seville, what is certain is that sweeping changes in culinary style, fashion, social mores, and music can be attributed to one man: Ziryab. This nickname, meaning “blackbird,” derived from the dark complexion and mellifluous voice of a particularly gifted musician, Abu Al-Hassan Ali lbn Nafi, who came to Córdoba from Baghdad in 822.