Halachot Gedolot from Spain

Question

Tosfot in Pesachim 30a paragraph Amar Rava quotes a rule from the Halachot Gedolot from Spain.

ובה"ג של אספמיא פסק דחתיכה בחתיכות בנ"ט ומייתי מדרבא בפ' גיד הנשה

The Tosfot in Chulin 97a quotes the same BHG from Spain. What is this book? From what is it different from the standard BHG?

It's important to note that the Tosfot quotes a lot of Geonic sources that he doesn't identify with the BHG from Spain: (from the Tosfot in Chulin):

• Seder Tanayim Veamorayim;

• BHG;

• Sheiltot Derav Achay;

• Teshuvat Hageonim, quoting RY Tov Elem (Bonfils);

Answer 1

According to David Cassel in his book "תשובות גאונים קדמונים", p. 4, there were two versions of Halachot Gedolot, one from Spain and one from France. The latter one was identified with Rabbi Yosef Tov-Elem. The Spanish one, according to Cassel, is the one we have before us, since it had Hilchot Nazir, just like the one we have. However, our Halachot Gedolot also has later additions to the text, including from the Rif. Similarly, he notes, there were two versions - French and Spanish - of the book Seder Tannaim V'Amoraim, with the French one also connected to Rabbi Yosef Tov-Elem. I'll add that Solomon Schechter, several decades later, discovered that there are two versions of Avot DeRabbi Natan, and the versions differentiate between Spanish/Mizrachi and French/Ashkenaz.