Abbasid Caliphate · Iraq
Kitab al-Tabikh's Isfanakhiyya
From Kitab al-Tabikh · Muhammad al-Baghdadi · 1226
Verified from original source
A medieval Arab dish of lamb with spinach, chickpeas and warm spices.
History
Isfanakhiyya is a medieval Arabic spinach stew documented in Muhammad ibn al-Hasan ibn Muhammad ibn al-Karim al-Katib al-Baghdadi's *Kitab al-Tabikh* (1226), compiled in Baghdad during the Abbasid Caliphate. This savoury dish combined spinach with meat (typically lamb), onions, and spices including coriander, cinnamon, and sometimes sour flavourings like lemon or pomegranate juice. It exemplified the sophisticated court cuisine of medieval Islam, reflecting trade networks that brought ingredients across the Islamic world. The dish was consumed by the urban elite and influenced later Middle Eastern cooking traditions, with spinach-and-meat combinations remaining popular throughout the region into modern times.
Sources
- al-Baghdadi, Muhammad ibn al-Hasan. Kitab al-Tabikh (A Baghdad Cookery Book), translated by Charles Perry, 2005 (Prospect Books)
- Perry, Charles. 'Kitab al-Tabikh and Andalusian Cuisine' in Medieval Arab Cookery, 2001
- Nasrallah, Nawal. Annals of the Caliphs' Kitchens: Ibn Sayyar al-Warraq's Tenth-Century Baghdadi Cookbook, 2007
- Davidson, Alan. The Oxford Companion to Food, 1999
- Zubaida, Sami and Tapper, Richard (eds.). A Taste of Thyme: Culinary Cultures of the Middle East, 1994
Serves
4
Prep
20m
Cook
55m
Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients
- · 500 g lamb shoulder, diced
- · 500 g fresh spinach, chopped
- · 1 onion, chopped
- · 200 g cooked chickpeas
- · 2 tablespoons olive oil
- · 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- · 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- · 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- · Salt and pepper
- · 120 ml water
Method
- 1
Heat oil in a large pan and brown lamb pieces.
- 2
Add onion and cook until soft.
- 3
Stir in spices and cook for 1 minute.
- 4
Add spinach, chickpeas and water.
- 5
Cover and simmer for 45 minutes until lamb is tender, season and serve.
