Few people visit Spain without trying this traditional rice dish.
But where did it come from? Who first made it?
Generally it is agreed that paella originated in Valencia on the east coast of Spain. There are several stories on how the dish was invented.
One story claims that the servants of the Moorish kings used to gather up all the leftovers from royal feasts, mix them up with rice and then take this home to feed their families. It is even claimed that the Arabic word for leftovers, “baqiyah”, over the years became the word paella.
Another theory is that the peasants in the fields of Valencia used large heavy based pans “patillas” over open fires to cook rice dishes. They put anything they had into this meal, often rabbit and even snails if they came to hand. The name paella was derived from the name of the pan.
This rice dish spread across Spain and regional variations developed.
The original paella, Paella Valenciana was refined into a recipe involving Chicken, Duck, Rabbit and Snails.
Paella Andalucia , features Mussels, Prawns and Clams, Chicken or Rabbit, with Pork and maybe a bit of Sausage.
Paella Marinera, seafood paella is found widely across Southern Spain, this often includes mussels, calamares, shrimp, lobster, clams, garlic, olive oil, tomatoes and saffron.
Paella Vegeteriana contains white beans, artichokes, eggplant and peppers.
There is even a noodle version of paella called Fideua
Paella is not just a great dish, for the Spanish it is also a social occasion. Often families will go out and eat paella as a Sunday lunch, it is often a celebratory meal.
Likewise when paella is cooked by a Spanish family in the traditional way, it is a social gathering where everyone joins in to help, preparing ingredients, cooking and arguing how it should be done!
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