March 27th is the annual observance of National Spanish Paella Day. A rice dish from Spain, paella has become very popular and is known around the world. It originated in its modern form in the mid-19th century in Valencia, on the east coast of Spain.
- 8th Century – Rice has been cultivated in Spain for more than a thousand years. It was introduced to Europe by the Arabs who farmed it in the wetlands along the Spanish Mediterranean coast in the 8th century.
- Mid-19th Century – Paella originates in Valencia, on the east coast of Spain.
- 1840 – The term ‘paella’ is used for the first time in a newspaper article with reference to the food dish itself, and not the pan it is prepared in.
- 2001 – Valencian restaurateur Juan Galbis claims to have made the world’s largest paella with help from a team of workers on 2 October 2001. This paella fed about 110,000 people.
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Paella (Ibiza Kitchen, Chappaqua, NY) 2004 – The Paella Company is founded and has been going strong ever since.
- Paella is primarily eaten at lunchtime because it is considered too heavy for dinner.
- At lunchtime, workers in the fields would make the rice dish in a flat pan over a fire. They mixed in whatever they could find – such as rabbits, snails, and vegetables. Later, for special occasions, chicken was added.
- Many non-Spaniards view paella as Spain’s national dish. Most Spaniards consider it to be a regional Valencian dish. Valencians, in turn, regard paella as one of their identifying symbols.
- The Spanish rice dish ‘Paella’ takes its name from the pan it is cooked in, which in turn comes from the Latin word for ‘pan’ or ‘dish.’
- The word “paellero,” refers to the person preparing this delicacy.
- One sign of a good paella is the depth of the rice-based preparation in the pan: Valencians say that it should be no more than ‘un ditet‘ or ‘a little finger.’ The reason is that as the stock tends to run to the bottom of the pan, the grains of rice in contact with the pan surface are those with the most flavor.
- This can get somewhat confusing in the rest of Spain however, where the word “paellera” is more commonly (incorrectly) used for the pan, while “paella” is reserved for the dish itself.
- It is important to use short, round-grained Spanish rice when making paella, which expands lengthwise as it cooks and absorbs a lot of liquid.
- The dish Paella is said to be a perfect union between 2 cultures from Spain, the Romans, for the pan, and the Arabs, for the rice.
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