Paella is a stew of rice, meat and vegetables prepared in a pan over a fire, be it paeller or stove. It originates from the Marjal de l’Albufera de Valencia, in the natural region of Ribera del Xúquer, south of Valencia. It is eaten on any occasion, especially when groups of friends or families gather, on Saturdays, Sundays or at traditional festivals and is considered the typical Valencian dish par excellence.
Although traditionally it should have been known as arros a la paella, paella d’arròs, arrossada or arros en paella a la Valenciana, the name “paella”, by metonymy, is used both for the already cooked rice dish and for to the container, whose name derives from the Latin patella. Paella (container) is often called paellón, especially in La Plana, where in some places it is called “arròs en paellón” for paella (food). It is also called “caldero”, the paella (utensil) in the central area of the Valencian Country.
Paella was, in principle, in the Valencian Country, a simple meal that was made with the four things that were on hand, in addition to rice: a bit of rabbit meat, chicken or even duck, vegetables ( beans, beans or carobs and tomato), oil, water, saffron, beef and salt. Over time it has become more sophisticated and entered restaurants, many of which treat it as a profitable tourist asset, especially if you have seafood: lobster, shrimp, etc.
Its internationalization has led to the creation of dishes called paellas that have little to do with the Valencian original. Some add peas, brown rice and wine. Some mix meat with seafood, crustaceans and various vegetables. To avoid the confusion generated by this situation, a group of Valencian chefs, led by Rafael Vidal and which includes the Association of Restaurants of the Province of Valencia Menjar i Viure and the Valencian Association of Restaurant Entrepreneurs, have declared the need to make a single recipe official, and therefore apply to the rest of the recipes an appellation of minor origin and never that of Valencian paella. Although it has not been officially accepted, the Generalitat Valenciana also offers a similar recipe with Valencian.
Valencian paella. Official recipe. Main ingredients
Considered the oldest version of this dish, it is made with typical products from the rice region of Valencia around the Albufera. Its main ingredients are free-range meat (chicken, rabbit, and more rarely duck) and vegetables from the garden (bajoqueta, carob, tomato for the stir-fry, and sometimes artichokes), as well as eventually snails.
Eat right!
See also Andorra cuisine
See also Catalan cuisine
See also Catalan travel guide
See also Pyrenees travel guide
See also France travel guide
See also Spain travel guide
See also Andorra travel guide
