WHAT IS COCIDO?

The origins of cocido, the slow-cooked stew that is Spain’s national dish, can be traced back to the 15th century—to a meal known as adafina, exclusive to Iberia’s community of Sephardic Jews. Adafina was a robust mix of chickpeas, lamb, hard-boiled egg, string beans, and an array of other varying, but always kosher, ingredients. Like many Spanish words, adafina is derived from Arabic: Dafinah means “covered or buried.” Adafina was prepared in covered clay pots and left to cook overnight on Friday for consumption on Saturday, without risk of violating the sabbath. In the late 15th century, the recipe, together with the country itself, was taken over by the Christians, and adiós, kosher—hola, pork. So much pork, in fact: Ham, chorizo, blood sausage, and lard all found their way inside the stewpot. The olla podrida (literally “rotten pot,” though the precise meaning and etymology of this name are still up for debate), as it was called during this period, was embraced across all strata of Spanish society, from royalty on down to the peasantry, and the recipe’s ratio of meat to starch reflected the family’s wealth, or the lack thereof. Today the cocido recipe varies more according to region and indigenous ingredients—but the chickpeas (and, of course, the pork) remain constant.

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TRUNK MAGAZINE

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, TRUNK MAGAZINE

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FOOD | SPAIN | TRAVEL