There’s paella, and then there’s authentic paella

Paella is a Spanish rice dish originally from Valencia. It is one of the best-known dishes in Spanish cuisine. For this reason, many non-Spaniards view it as Spain’s national dish, but Spaniards almost unanimously consider it to be a dish from the Valencian region. Valencia is where the Romans introduced irrigation and then the Arab conquerors that brought rice, perfected it. The origins of paella are ancient, rooted in the area around Valencia, Spain, near the Albufera Lagoon, where both fishing and rice growing dominated the region for centuries. The dish is named for the wide, shallow pan in which the paella is cooked. The word “paella” is from a Valencian dialect meaning “pan,” probably derived from the Latin word “patella” for pan.

Paella is perhaps the most famous Spanish dish of all, and certainly one of the most frequently augmented. Authentic paella comes in two varieties: Paella Valenciana, with rabbit, and chicken; and seafood paella. There are as many versions of paella as there are cooks in Spain, but Paella Valenciana is the traditional version of Valencia’s signature rice dish including rabbit, chicken, and snails.

Seafood paella is essentially a colorful rice dish bursting with clams, mussels and shrimp along with smoky chorizo and saffron for tons of flavor. You don’t need much else to serve alongside it, but for a more “authentic” paella, never mix meat and seafood. Paella is a rice dish, not a dish of rabbit or seafood along with some rice. Rice is the foundation, and everything is done to flavor the grains.

An ideal paella has a thin layer of toasted, slightly caramelized rice on the bottom of the pan—the socarrat. The question of what has a right to go in the pan can inspire garment-rending passion among paella partisans. Purists will argue there is only one true paella, the classic from Valencia that generally includes rabbit, chicken, two or three types of fresh, local beans, and snails or a sprig of rosemary.

The Philippines have a twist on the recipe as well. While Spanish paella has Arborio rice tinted with saffron threads, Filipino arroz a la Valenciana has glutinous rice colored by either kasubha or annatto seeds. Chicken and sausages often go with the rice.

Because authentic paella pans are so large (they are generally 17” long), they are not suitable for cooking on top of a standard burner. To provide even heat over the large surface, you use a round kettle barbecue or ​gas paella burner.

No matter how you make it as one aunt in the family village in rural Valencia says, “Paella is really just an excuse to gather people.”