Skip to main content

Articles

Stories, history and food traditions from Córdoba (Page 12)

Long-form editorial pieces written by resident correspondents: cultural deep-dives, the origins of local dishes, and the people and traditions that shape everyday life in Córdoba.

Manolete's gold and magenta bullfighting suit of lights displayed behind glass at the Museo Taurino in Córdoba, with a mounted bull's head visible on the wall behind, red velvet lining the display cases

Manolete: Córdoba's Last Sad God of the Ring

Sophie Marchand Updated

Manolete was gored by Islero in Linares on August 28, 1947, dying at 30. Islero's head sits in Córdoba's Museo Taurino; Franco declared three days of mourning.

Read
Mazamorra cordobesa history: white almond soup in a terracotta bowl with black olives, crumbled egg, and green grapes on a stone surface in natural light, the pre-Columbian cold soup that preceded salmorejo by three centuries

Mazamorra Cordobesa — The Ancient White Soup Before Salmorejo

Pedro Del Pozo Updated

Mazamorra cordobesa predates salmorejo by eight centuries. Bread, almonds, garlic, olive oil: Córdoba's ancient cold soup, eaten before tomatoes ever arrived.

Read
Interior of the Mezquita-Catedral of Córdoba showing mezquita conversion 1236 reconquista result: red-and-white striped double arches of jasper and marble receding into shadow with the Renaissance cathedral nave rising above in the background, photorealistic golden-hour light

Mezquita Conversion 1236: What the Reconquista Actually Did

Sophie Marchand Updated

In 1236, Ferdinand III captured Córdoba and converted the Great Mosque into a cathedral, left untouched for three centuries until Charles V's architects.

Read
Berenjenas con miel origin: golden fried aubergine rounds with dark miel de caña on a terracotta plate in an Andalusian courtyard, the cane syrup pooling at the base of crisp battered slices, warm natural light catching the glaze

Berenjenas con Miel — Moorish Roots of Córdoba's Sweetest Tapa

Pedro Del Pozo Updated

The Moorish origin of berenjenas con miel traces to 8th-century Al-Andalus, where fried aubergines and honey defined sweet-savoury cooking in Córdoba.

Read
Interior of the Mezquita-Catedral of Córdoba, symbol of convivencia in medieval Córdoba, showing red-and-white striped double arches of jasper and marble receding into shadow, the Renaissance cathedral nave visible in the background, photorealistic golden-hour light

Convivencia: The Story Córdoba Tells About Itself

Sophie Marchand Updated

Convivencia, the interfaith harmony idea tied to medieval Córdoba, was coined in 1948. What the actual history shows is more complex and more interesting.

Read
Córdoba patio festival courtyard during the May competition, flower-covered walls and central fountain

Why Córdoba's Patios Open for Only 12 Days a Year

María Fernanda González Updated

Córdoba's patios are private homes, not museums. Six reasons explain the short window — about two weeks, UNESCO's 'twelve days' — all residents can offer.

Read
Interior of the Córdoba Synagogue at Calle de los Judíos, Mudéjar stucco arches and women's gallery with Hebrew inscriptions visible on upper walls, warm directional light, photorealistic

The Córdoba Synagogue's Five Lives Since 1315

Sophie Marchand Updated

Built in 1315 as a private yeshiva, the Córdoba Synagogue survived pogroms, became a rabies hospital, then a cobblers' chapel, before rediscovery in 1885.

Read
Flamenquín cordobés history: a golden crispy fried pork roll on a rustic ceramic plate at a traditional Córdoba taberna, sliced open to reveal the jamón serrano filling, natural Andalusian light on a stone counter

Flamenquín: Córdoba's Crispy Roll With a Disputed Past

Pedro Del Pozo Updated

Flamenquín's origin is disputed between Córdoba and Andújar — but the crispy pork roll became a taberna staple in the 1960s. History, recipe, best spots.

Read
Aerial view of the Medina Azahara archaeological site near Córdoba, medina azahara history discovery, three terraces cut into the Sierra hillside with the Salón Rico arches partially restored, surrounding unexcavated land extending to the horizon, photorealistic warm afternoon light

Medina Azahara: The Palace-City Buried for a Thousand Years

Sophie Marchand Updated

Built by Abd al-Rahman III in 936 CE, sacked in 1010, and buried for nine centuries, Medina Azahara is now roughly 9% excavated and UNESCO listed since 2018.

Read
Reconstruction view of the original Great Mosque of Córdoba founded by abd al-rahman i cordoba in 785 CE, striped red and white double arches over Roman and Visigothic columns, golden midday light through the prayer hall, photorealistic

Abd al-Rahman I: The Fugitive Who Founded Córdoba

Sophie Marchand Updated

Abd al-Rahman I survived the massacre of his Umayyad family in 750 CE, fled six years across North Africa, and founded the Emirate of Córdoba at just 25.

Read
The Puente Romano of Córdoba from the south bank of the Guadalquivir at golden hour, sixteen arches spanning the river, the Mezquita-Catedral tower visible behind, roman bridge cordoba history

Roman Bridge Córdoba: Why It's Mostly Not Roman

Sophie Marchand Updated

Only 2 of the Roman Bridge's 16 arches are actually Roman. The rest is an 8th-century Umayyad rebuild, medieval repairs, and a 1651 Christian statue on top.

Read
Ibn Hazm writing the Ring of the Dove in medieval Al-Andalus Córdoba, scholar at a candlelit desk with Arabic manuscript and quill, warm ochre tones, photorealistic

Ibn Hazm's Ring of the Dove: Córdoba's Love Treatise

Sophie Marchand Updated

Ibn Hazm's Ring of the Dove (1022 CE) is the medieval Arab world's most searching analysis of love and one of the most readable books to survive Al-Andalus.

Read