Submitted by Hallie Fausey on the 2017 winter session program in Granada sponsored by the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures…
After being in Granada for a week, I have learned a lot about the culture. One thing that I had not known before was that in Spain, breakfast is always small and lunch is usually the most important meal. The traditional breakfast in Andalusia is “las tostadas”, which is toasted bread with chopped tomatoes and olive oil. Olive oil is also used in other traditional foods such as “ensalada de pimientos”, so it is a very important ingredient in Granada.
I was surprised to learn that the culture in Granada has a heavy Arab influence as well. For example, over the past week, I visited the Alhambra which was where Arab kings would live, since Granada and many other parts of Spain used to be under Arab rule. Many older buildings also show some Arab architecture, and there are old mosques, many converted for other purposes, which are scattered around the city. Being under Arab rule brought stability to the cities they controlled and played a large part in shaping the culture.
It amazed me that there was so much important history about Spain that I had never been taught. The Arab era in Spain’s History is both long (over 700 years) and important in the development of the country. So much time has been spent learning American History that we miss out on the history of the rest of the world. This experience has highlighted the gap in my knowledge and made me want to find what other vital history I am missing about Spain.