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Arabic Influence in Spanish Language and Culture
hace 6 años The Arab influence is more evident in the southern part of the peninsula. Catalan also has some words that were of Arabic origin, but the Spanish language has more. About 4,000 words of Arabic origin or influenced by Arabic are found in the regional varieties of Spanish, which can be heard if you are to travel around the southern part of the Iberian Peninsula.
Arabic influence in the region did not end with language. In fact, the culture of the Spain was also influenced, as the Moors introduced several cultural innovations like the philosophy of Aristotle, zero (the number), Arabic numbers, chess, algebra and alchemy.
The Muslim presence in the locality also influenced Spanish music, from the musical instruments to melodies. These were later replaced by the guitar and flamenco music. Flamenco has plenty of structural elements that are similar to northern Africa's traditional music. The Arabic influence extended to Spanish cuisine, evident in their use of spices and herbs that originally came from Africa's northern region. The garbanzo bean that is not normally present in European cuisine is featured regularly in many Spanish dishes.
