Arboleas tastes of history: the 23rd Al-Arbūlí Days combine tapas, art and the Nasrid legacy until 4 October

Arboleas is once again sitting down at the table with its history. On Saturday 26 September, the town council launched the 23rd edition of the Jornadas Gastronómicas Al-Arbūlí (Al-Arbūlí Food Days), which until Sunday 4 October are filling the village with tapas, art and culture with a common thread: the Nasrid legacy that can still be felt in its cuisine.

A name with six centuries of history

The name is no coincidence. The food days commemorate Al-Arbūlí, a scholar from the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada who left a written treatise on foods and their properties. The Arabist Amador Díaz García, who edited and translated the work in a University of Granada journal, maintains that his name indicates he was originally from Arboleas. The manuscript he studied was copied between 1414 and 1424.

More than six centuries later, the village is still showcasing that heritage where it shines brightest: at the table and in the street. This is the programme, according to Arboleas Town Council:

• Ruta de la Tapa (tapas route), until Saturday 3 October. To take part, you need to ask for the card at the town hall and complete it by trying the tapas at the village’s restaurants. With it, you are entered into the final draw at the closing event.
• Exhibition ‘Arte con raíces. De Al-Arbūlí a la actualidad’ (Art with roots: from Al-Arbūlí to the present day), at the Museo Pedro Gilabert, which was scheduled to open this Monday at 18:00.
• Screenings and round-table discussions, which complete the cultural side of the food days.
• Closing event, Sunday 4 October: a food and craft market with workshops for the little ones, musical performances, street parades and free bouncy castles.

Art with roots, and olive ones at that

The exhibition could not have a better home. The museum is named after Pedro Gilabert, the naïve sculptor born in Arboleas in 1915, and houses a permanent collection of 142 sculptures that he himself carved from olive wood, according to Almería Provincial Council’s Turismo Costa de Almería. Roots that, in this case, are almost literal.

For a village of just over 4,200 residents, food days like these are also a showcase for its bars and restaurants and for those who keep craftsmanship alive. And the best excuse to head over to Arboleas before the week is out.