Almadroc
Medieval Catalan garlic-cheese sauce with disputed origins.
Almadroc is a medieval Catalan sauce made from garlic and cheese, first recorded in the *Llibre de Sent Soví*. A related sauce, almadrote, appears in Rupert de Nola’s *Llibre del Coch*, where it combines garlic, eggs, cheese, and broth, and was traditionally served with partridge. Today, almadroc is an oil, garlic, and cheese sauce used on eggplant casserole. The sauce may have pre-Inquisition Sephardic roots; served with eggplant, it has become common in modern Turkish cuisine. Earlier versions of almodrote might trace back to a green sauce called *moretum* in the *Apicius*—thought to be the word’s etymological source—or could come from Arabic *almaṭrúq*, meaning “to pound,” though this is based on modern lexicography and not found in the 13th-century Andalusian cookbook. During the late 15th-century Inquisition, Fray Gonçalo Bringuylla was reported eating “eggplant with almadrote.” In a 16th-century cookbook, the sauce’s name changed to *capirotada*, but garlic appears in only one variation. Modern Sephardic cookbooks often include recipes for vegetable casseroles with almodrot or almodrote, using white cheese or feta, sometimes with a firmer cheese like Gruyère, and eggs to thicken the sauce.
- origin
- Medieval Catalan cuisine
- earliest_source
- Llibre de Sent Soví
- similar_recipe
- Llibre del Coch by Rupert de Nola
- modern_usage
- Oil, garlic, and cheese sauce with eggplant casserole
- possible_etymology
- Latin moretum or Arabic almaṭrúq
Lore & Background
Almadroc appears in the Llibre de Sent Soví, a medieval Catalan cookbook. A related recipe, almadrote, is found in the Llibre del Coch by Rupert de Nola, where it is a sauce of garlic, eggs, cheese, and broth served with partridge. The sauce may have pre-Inquisition Sephardic origins, and its association with eggplant has become widespread in modern Turkish cuisine.
Reader's Guide
Almadroc and its variant almadrote represent a culinary link between medieval Catalan, Sephardic, and Turkish traditions. The sauce's etymology is disputed: it may derive from the Latin moretum, a green sauce in Apicius, or from the Arabic almaṭrúq, meaning 'to pound,' though it does not appear in the 13th-century Andalusian cookbook. During the Inquisition, Fray Gonçalo Bringuylla was reported eating 'eggplant with almadrote.' By the 16th century, the name shifted to capirotada, though garlic appears in only one variation. Modern Sephardic cookbooks include recipes for vegetable casseroles with almodrot or almodrote, often using white cheese, feta, or Gruyère, with eggs to thicken the sauce. This evolution shows how a medieval sauce adapted across cultures and centuries.
Did You Know?
- Almadroc is documented in the medieval Catalan Llibre de Sent Soví.
- A similar sauce, almadrote, appears in the Llibre del Coch by Rupert de Nola, served with partridge.
- During the Inquisition, Fray Gonçalo Bringuylla was reported eating 'eggplant with almadrote.'
- Modern Sephardic cookbooks include vegetable casseroles with almodrot or almodrote, using cheeses like feta or Gruyère.
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