Résumé
Our knowledge of the Islamic diet in al-Andalus is mainly based on textual and archaeological sources, which are as complementary as they are sometimes discordant. However, data that directly document, through biological remains, the plant diet in rural areas is still scarce. New archaeobotanical research carried out in the settlement of Albalat, in Extremadura, offers an approximation of the plant diet in an area far from dynamic urban centres and which are not known for their high agricultural productivity. Carpological studies carried out in two latrine pits have made it possible to extract carbonised and mineralised carpological remains that document the role of these structures in relation to latrines, but also as rubbish dumps. The data, together with data previously obtained in other habitat contexts, make it possible to identify a wide range of plants based on 8 cereals, 3 cultivated pulses, 4 aromatic plants, 2 technical/oil/textile plants and at least 16 fruit trees. This diversity, comparable to that of the large urban complexes studied in al-Andalus, testifies to Albalat's capacity to produce and/or import a wide variety of plant products, some of which, such as fenugreek or garden cress, had never before been identified on the peninsula.